Portainer vs Cosmos Cloud

Quick Verdict

Portainer is the better choice if you want a dedicated Docker management tool that does one thing well and lets you pair it with your preferred reverse proxy, auth system, and other tools. Cosmos Cloud is the better choice if you want an all-in-one platform that bundles container management, reverse proxy, SSO, and security hardening together — especially if you are new to self-hosting and want one tool instead of four.

Overview

Portainer CE (v2.33.7) is a Docker management platform that covers the full Docker API surface: containers, images, volumes, networks, Compose stacks, Swarm, and Kubernetes. It has been around since 2016 and is the most widely deployed Docker UI. Portainer focuses exclusively on container management and leaves reverse proxying, auth, and security to other tools.

Cosmos Cloud (v0.18) is an all-in-one self-hosting platform that combines container management, a built-in reverse proxy (based on a Go HTTP server), SSO authentication, a VPN module, firewall rules, automatic HTTPS, and an app marketplace — all in a single deployment. It launched in 2023 and aims to make self-hosting accessible by bundling everything you need into one tool.

These tools have fundamentally different scopes. Portainer is a specialist. Cosmos is a generalist. The right choice depends on whether you prefer composable tools or an integrated platform.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Portainer CE (v2.33.7)	Cosmos Cloud (v0.18)
Container management	Yes — full lifecycle, logs, stats, console	Yes — lifecycle, logs, console
Docker Compose stacks	Yes — editor, upload, Git deploy	Yes — through UI or marketplace
Image management	Yes — pull, remove, prune	Basic
Volume management	Yes — create, browse, remove	Basic
Network management	Yes — create, remove, inspect	Managed automatically
Built-in reverse proxy	No — use separate tool	Yes — automatic per-container proxy
Automatic HTTPS (Let’s Encrypt)	No	Yes — built-in
SSO / Authentication	No — use Authelia, Authentik	Yes — built-in identity provider
App marketplace	Yes — basic templates	Yes — curated marketplace with one-click install
VPN module	No	Yes — built-in
Firewall rules	No	Yes — per-container network policies
User management / RBAC	Yes — admins, users, teams	Yes — users with per-app permissions
Multi-host management	Yes — Agent, Edge Agent	No
Docker Swarm support	Yes	No
Kubernetes support	Yes	No
Webhook redeployment	Yes	No
REST API	Yes, comprehensive	Yes, basic
License	Zlib (free)	Apache 2.0

Installation Complexity

Portainer is a single container with a Docker socket mount. Simple and fast. But you still need to separately set up a reverse proxy (Nginx Proxy Manager, Traefik, or Caddy) and an auth solution (Authelia or Authentik) if you want HTTPS and SSO.

Cosmos Cloud installs as a single container but bundles significantly more functionality. First-time setup includes a wizard that configures your domain, HTTPS certificates, admin account, and security settings. The setup is guided but takes longer because Cosmos is doing more — configuring a proxy, provisioning certificates, and setting up authentication in one pass.

For the total stack (Docker management + reverse proxy + SSL + auth), Cosmos is faster to deploy because it is one tool instead of three or four.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Portainer CE	Cosmos Cloud
Idle RAM	~50-80 MB	~150-250 MB
Under load RAM	~100-150 MB	~300-500 MB
Docker image size	~90 MB	~200 MB
CPU at idle	Low	Low-moderate

Cosmos uses more resources because it runs more services internally (proxy, auth, VPN, firewall). However, compare it to the full stack: Portainer (~80 MB) + Traefik (~120 MB) + Authelia (~50 MB) = ~250 MB, which is comparable to Cosmos. The difference evens out when you account for the tools Cosmos replaces.

Community and Support

Metric	Portainer	Cosmos Cloud
GitHub stars	32K+	5K+
First release	2016	2023
Development pace	Monthly releases	Active, frequent commits
Documentation	Comprehensive docs site	Good, growing
Community	Large — forums, Reddit, Discord	Smaller but growing

Portainer has a 7-year head start and a much larger community. Cosmos is newer and iterating fast. For a tool that manages your entire self-hosting stack, Cosmos’s smaller community means fewer answers when you hit edge cases.

Use Cases

Choose Portainer If…

• You want a dedicated Docker management tool
• You already have a reverse proxy and auth system set up
• You manage Docker Swarm or Kubernetes clusters
• You need multi-host management
• You need granular RBAC with teams
• You prefer composable tools that each do one thing well
• You want the largest community and most mature codebase

Choose Cosmos Cloud If…

• You are setting up a new server from scratch and want everything in one tool
• You want built-in reverse proxy + HTTPS + SSO without configuring three separate services
• You are newer to self-hosting and want a guided experience
• Security hardening is a priority and you want it built-in rather than bolted on
• You run a single server (not Swarm/K8s) and want the simplest possible management
• You like the idea of an app marketplace for one-click deployments

FAQ

Can Cosmos Cloud replace Portainer + Nginx Proxy Manager + Authelia?

For a single-server homelab, yes. Cosmos bundles equivalent functionality for container management, reverse proxying with auto-HTTPS, and authentication. You lose Portainer’s depth in Docker API coverage and NPM’s custom Nginx directives, but for most self-hosters the bundled features are sufficient.

Is Cosmos Cloud mature enough for production?

Cosmos is at v0.18 — still pre-1.0. It is under active development and improving rapidly, but expect occasional rough edges. Portainer at v2.33 is battle-tested over 7+ years. For critical infrastructure, Portainer’s maturity is an advantage.

Can I run both together?

Yes, but there is significant overlap. If you use Cosmos for everything, you do not need Portainer. If you use Portainer and a separate proxy, you do not need Cosmos. Running both wastes resources.

Final Verdict

For experienced self-hosters with an existing stack, Portainer is the better choice. It is more mature, more capable at Docker management, and plays well with whatever reverse proxy and auth system you prefer.

For newcomers setting up a fresh server, Cosmos Cloud is worth serious consideration. Getting a reverse proxy, HTTPS, auth, and container management in one deployment is compelling, and the guided setup reduces the chance of misconfiguration. The tradeoff is maturity and community size.

If you already run Traefik or Caddy and Authelia, adding Portainer makes more sense. If you are starting from zero and want to minimize the number of tools, Cosmos is the more efficient path.

Related

• How to Self-Host Portainer with Docker
• How to Self-Host Cosmos Cloud with Docker
• Portainer vs Dockge
• Portainer vs Yacht
• Best Docker Management Tools
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Explained