Choose the local workflow that fits.
TDK CLI turns service.json per service into a local Docker stack. Tilt watches services and live-updates containers as you code. It is not a deploy tool and not a Compose replacement. Production stays on Helm.
Compose fits a few services you already wrote. Tilt fits teams that maintain their own Tiltfile. Skaffold, Garden, and DevSpace target a cluster. Use the tool that matches your workflow.
Head to head
High-level differences; see the full comparison and known limits.
| Feature | TDK CLI | Devbox | Devenv | Garden | Skaffold | DevSpace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes required | No | No | No | Optional (leaks) | Yes | Yes |
| Learning curve | Low | Medium | High | High | High | High |
| Setup time | Minutes | Minutes | Hours | Days | Days | Days |
| Manifest format | Simple JSON | JSON | Nix | Complex YAML | Complex YAML | YAML |
| Auto-generated files | 12-17 per service | Manual | Manual | 3–5 files | Manual | Manual |
| Golden Docker images | L1–L4 included | DIY | DIY | DIY | DIY | DIY |
| Auto-discovery | Scans directories | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Selective startup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited | No | Yes |
| Local-only mode | Docker only | Nix shell | Nix shell | Needs cluster | Needs cluster | Needs cluster |
| Cost at 10 developers | $0 (MIT) | Free (MIT) | Free (MIT) | Platform team time | Platform team time | Commercial |
| Scale tested | 27 in daily use; 100-service fixture boots in CI | Thousands of developers | Active community | Enterprise | Medium | Medium |
| Built on | Tilt (10k stars) | Nix | Nix | Custom | Custom | Custom |
| Open source | MIT | MIT | MIT | Apache | Apache | Commercial |
TDK and Helm work at different stages
| Helm / app-template | TDK |
|---|---|
| Render Kubernetes for the cluster. | Generate and run the machine stack. |
Same image optional; different control plane.
One $19 seat. A full circle of replaced vendors.
Every name in orbit bills you separately — per developer, per month, forever.
Cloud dev environments, priced out
Verified public pricing, September 2026. Estimates assume one full-time 4-core machine per developer.
| Cost | TDK Team | Gitpod / Ona | Codespaces | Coder | Daytona | Okteto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $19 / dev / mo | $20 / mo + compute credits | Pay-as-you-go, ~$0.36/hr | Per-user annual | Pay-as-you-go, ~$0.05/vCPU/hr | Free 5 seats |
| Per dev / month, full-time | $19 flat | $20+ compute | ~$58 | ~$50, enterprise | ~$140 | Contact sales |
| 10 developers / year | $2,280 | $2,400 + compute | ~$7,000 | ~$6,000 | ~$16,800 | Contact sales |
| Compute model | Your machine | Their cloud, metered | Their cloud, metered | Your cloud, you pay | Their cloud, metered | Your cluster, you pay |
| Works offline | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | Local by design | Enterprise tier | Never | Yes | Enterprise tier | Yes |
| Open source core | MIT | Yes | Closed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Estimates for full-time use of one standard machine per developer, from public pricing pages. Bigger machines, prebuilds and GPU time cost more.
Devbox vs Devenv: Nix-based alternatives
Both are excellent Nix-based tools, but TDK takes a different approach focused on Docker services.
| Feature | TDK CLI | Devbox | Devenv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Docker services | Package management | Full environment |
| Service orchestration | Built-in (Tilt) | process-compose | Native processes |
| Auto-generated Dockerfiles | 12-17 per service | Manual | Manual |
| Docker Compose generation | Auto-generated | Manual | Manual |
| Hot reload | Built-in | Limited | Manual setup |
| Multi-service discovery | Automatic | Manual | Manual |
| Golden images included | L1–L4 layers | DIY | DIY |
| Nix knowledge required | No | Hidden | Yes |
| Language support | Any (Docker) | 80,000+ packages | 58+ languages |
| CI/CD integration | Native | GitHub Actions | GitHub Actions |
Which tool is right for you?
Choose TDK if you…
Want a manifest-driven local Docker workflow with selective startup. TDK is designed so tdk doctor and tdk up replace a setup wiki; onboarding time has not been measured on a hiring cohort.
Choose Devbox if you…
Want Nix power without learning Nix language. Need JSON configuration. Prefer simple package management. Want cloud deployment with Jetify Cloud. Are building for cloud-native teams with budget for managed services.
Choose Devenv if you…
Already know Nix or willing to learn. Need maximum reproducibility. Want full environment declaration (languages, services, processes). Are working with complex monorepos. Need fine-grained control over every aspect of your dev environment.
Choose Garden if you…
Have Kubernetes expertise in-house. Need production-like environments for integration testing. Employ a dedicated platform team with time to maintain YAML pipelines. TDK complements this setup nicely for the fast local loop, by the way.
Choose Cloud CDEs if you…
Have budget for cloud spend. Need instant onboarding for remote teams. Want standardized environments without local machine variations. Don't mind working offline or managing cloud costs. Value convenience over control.
The comparison that matters is your invoice
$0 and 4.6s warm start of startup — against $20–$150 per developer per month and a YAML learning curve.
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