nerdctl
nerdctl is a command-line interface (CLI) tool for managing containers, designed as a drop-in replacement for Docker CLI. It works with containerd as the container runtime, providing similar commands and functionality to Docker but with a focus on simplicity and compatibility with Kubernetes environments. It is part of the containerd ecosystem and is often used in development and testing scenarios where Docker is not available or desired.
Developers should learn nerdctl when working in environments that use containerd as the container runtime, such as Kubernetes clusters or lightweight container setups, as it provides a familiar Docker-like interface without the overhead of Docker Engine. It is particularly useful for testing container images locally before deployment to Kubernetes, or in CI/CD pipelines where containerd is preferred for its performance and resource efficiency. Use cases include building, pushing, and pulling container images, managing containers and networks, and integrating with tools like BuildKit for image building.