The Grace Period for the Docker Subscription Service Agreement Ends Soon – Here’s What You Need to Know

Remember the updates to our product subscription tiers we announced on August 31? You may recall we also announced a grace period for those that need to transition from a free to a paid subscription to use Docker Desktop. This is a friendly reminder that that grace period is ending on January 31, 2022.

Docker trusts our customers to be in compliance by January 31, 2022 and Docker Desktop will continue to function normally after January 31st. But this is a reminder that unpaid commercial use by companies over 250 employees or $10 million USD in annual revenue will be out of compliance with the Docker Subscription Service Agreement.

Updated Docker Subscription Tiers

To recap our August 31 announcement, Docker announced updated product subscription tiers — Docker Personal, Docker Pro, Docker Team and Docker Business. Docker Personal replaces Docker Free and it remains free for personal use, education, non-commercial open source projects, and small businesses. Docker Business is our newest subscription offering that enables commercial use of Docker Desktop, and includes additional enterprise-grade management and security features like Image Access Management, vulnerability scanning, SAML SSO, and more.

The updated subscription terms for Docker Desktop reflect our need to scale our business sustainably and enables us to continue providing value across all Docker subscriptions. Check out our pricing page and Subscription Cheat Sheet to compare our subscription tiers and figure out which subscription is right for you and your organization. 

Using Docker Desktop in large commercial organizations will require a Pro, Team or Business paid subscription, starting at $5 a month. Docker Desktop remains free for small businesses (fewer than 250 employees AND less than $10 million USD in annual revenue), as well as for personal use, education, and non-commercial open source projects.

Docker Desktop: More than a Container UI

Thousands of developers use Docker Desktop in production but many people may not realize just how much value Docker Desktop packs under the hood. Docker Desktop manages all the complexities of integrating, configuring and maintaining Docker Engine and Kubernetes in Windows and Mac desktop environments (filesystems, VMs, networking and more). This allows developers to spend more time building applications and less time tinkering with infrastructure. With a paid subscription, organizations get additional value from Docker Desktop, including capabilities for managing secure software supply chains, centralizing policy visibility and controls, and easily managing users and access for hundreds or thousands of developers.

Docker Business Enables Scalability and Security 

​​The new Docker Business subscription is designed for organizations that use Docker at scale for application development, and that require features like secure software supply chain management, single sign-on (SSO), container registry access controls and more. It has an easy-to-use SaaS-based management plane that allows IT leaders to efficiently observe and manage all their Docker development environments and accelerate their secure software supply chain initiatives. Docker Business also includes Image Access Management which gives admins the ability to control which container images developers can access from Docker Hub, ensuring teams are building securely from the start by using only trusted content. 

Image Access Management is just the first of many control-plane features to be added to Docker Business. In the not-too-distant future look for SAML-based SSO; support for local registries such as JFrog Artifactory, along with other public registries such as ECR; visibility into which images are being consumed, versions and security vulnerabilities, and more security, management, and  productivity features. Check out the Docker Business Whitepaper to learn more about how Docker Business extends the Docker experience developers already know and love with premium features and capabilities.

Learn More

Again, the Docker Subscription Service Agreement went into effect on August 31st and the grace period for those who need to switch to a paid Docker subscription under the new terms ends soon on January 31, 2022. We’ve put together resources to help make this transition as easy as possible: 

• Use the Docker Subscription Cheat Sheet to figure out which subscription is right for you.
• Do the New Terms of Docker Desktop Apply If You Don’t Use the Docker Desktop UI? Read this to find out.
• Considering an alternative to Docker Desktop? Read this blog recapping Docker Captain Bret Fisher’s video on your options.
• Check out the FAQ on the subscription and licensing updates.
• Read about “The Magic Behind the Scenes of Docker Desktop.”
• Check out a recording from our recent Docker Business Webinar.

Learn more about Docker Business in our white paper, Build Modern and Secure Applications at Scale with Docker Business.

DockerCon2022

Join us for DockerCon2022 on Tuesday, May 10. DockerCon is a free, one day virtual event that is a unique experience for developers and development teams who are building the next generation of modern applications. If you want to learn about how to go from code to cloud fast and how to solve your development challenges, DockerCon 2022 offers engaging live content to help you build, share and run your applications. Register today at https://www.docker.com/dockercon/