+1 for containerd (+ cri-containerd, which is included by default now), it's served really wonderfully (meaning I didn't have to touch it much) as the base for k8s machines I've boostrapped recently -- I don't even install Docker anymore (as in literally docker the daemon is not installed or running, just runc + containerd).

The replacement of docker is a good thing IMO (though probably not a good thing for Docker the company) -- it's one of the main benefits of the kubernetes hypetrain, the development of C*I (Container <something> Interface) has been great for the ecosystem.

I personally find docker's CLI way more ergonomic however.