What does the docker-engine provided by the apt repository provide that the docker.io package does not?

Question

If you follow these instructions to get started with kubernetes, you add an apt source (deb http://apt.kubernetes.io/ kubernetes-xenial main) and are told to install the package 'docker-engine'. This package is provided by the kubernetes apt repository and Conflicts with the package that is provided by Ubuntu (docker.io).

What is the functional difference between the docker-engine package from the kubernetes repository and the docker.io package that is available in Ubuntu xenial?

I'm wondering because I cannot get the docker-engine package to properly start.

Answer 1

If I remember correctly from the mailing list, the main reason for having own docker was to always install well-tested and compatible version. Docker is known for the introduction of breaking changes.

Answer 2

You should use the docker-engine package from Kubernetes repo. The main reason is compatibility, because Kubernetes will not work fine with the latest docker packages provided by Ubuntu. You could also use Ubuntu or Docker official repo, but then make sure you specify the docker-engine version and not to use latest.