---
description: Docker Engine Swarm mode overview
keywords: docker, container, cluster, swarm, docker engine
title: Swarm mode
weight: 80
aliases:
- /api/swarm-api/
- /engine/userguide/networking/overlay-standalone-swarm/
- /network/overlay-standalone.swarm/
- /release-notes/docker-swarm/
- /swarm/
- /swarm/api/
- /swarm/configure-tls/
- /swarm/discovery/
- /swarm/get-swarm/
- /swarm/install-manual/
- /swarm/install-w-machine/
- /swarm/multi-host-networking/
- /swarm/multi-manager-setup/
- /swarm/networking/
- /swarm/overview/
- /swarm/plan-for-production/
- /swarm/provision-with-machine/
- /swarm/reference/
- /swarm/reference/create/
- /swarm/reference/help/
- /swarm/reference/join/
- /swarm/reference/list/
- /swarm/reference/manage/
- /swarm/reference/swarm/
- /swarm/release-notes/
- /swarm/scheduler/
- /swarm/scheduler/filter/
- /swarm/scheduler/rescheduling/
- /swarm/scheduler/strategy/
- /swarm/secure-swarm-tls/
- /swarm/status-code-comparison-to-docker/
- /swarm/swarm-api/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/02-deploy-infra/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/03-create-cluster/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/04-deploy-app/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/about/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/deploy-app/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/deploy-infra/
- /swarm/swarm_at_scale/troubleshoot/
---
{{% include "swarm-mode.md" %}}
Current versions of Docker include Swarm mode for natively managing a cluster
of Docker Engines called a swarm. Use the Docker CLI to create a swarm, deploy
application services to a swarm, and manage swarm behavior.
Docker Swarm mode is built into the Docker Engine. Do not confuse Docker Swarm mode
with [Docker Classic Swarm](https://github.com/docker/classicswarm)
which is no longer actively developed.
## Feature highlights
### Cluster management integrated with Docker Engine
Use the Docker Engine CLI to create a swarm of Docker Engines where you can deploy application
services. You don't need additional orchestration software to create or manage
a swarm.
### Decentralized design
Instead of handling differentiation between node roles at deployment time, the Docker Engine handles any specialization at runtime. You can deploy both kinds of nodes, managers and workers, using the
Docker Engine. This means you can build an entire swarm from a single disk
image.
### Declarative service model
Docker Engine uses a declarative approach to
let you define the desired state of the various services in your application
stack. For example, you might describe an application comprised of a web front
end service with message queueing services and a database backend.