head to head · open source
Docker vs Coolify
Docker has 72,241 GitHub stars, 19,301 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Coolify has 65,647 stars, 5,926 forks, 649 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 10% (72,241 vs 65,647 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Coolify is written in PHP under Apache-2.0. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, Coolify 9%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (docker), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Docker | Coolify | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 66K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 5.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Docker if
- You weight community size — 72K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Coolify if
- You want the Coolify feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and Coolify fits your workflow better
About Docker
The Moby Project ================ Moby is an open source project created by Docker to enable and accelerate software containerization. It provides a "Lego set" of toolkit components, the framework for assembling them into custom container based systems, and a place for all container enthusiasts and professionals to experiment and exchange ideas. Components include container build tools, a container registry, orchestration tools, a runtime and more, and these can be used as building blocks in conjunction with other tools and projects. Principles Moby is an open project guided by strong principles, aiming to be…
read the full Docker overview →
About Coolify
Coolify An open source & self hostable Heroku / Netlify / Vercel alternative. About the Project Coolify is an open source & self hostable alternative to Heroku / Netlify / Vercel / etc. It helps you manage your servers, applications, and databases on your own hardware; you only need an SSH connection. You can manage VPS, Bare Metal, Raspberry PIs, and anything else. Imagine having the ease of a cloud but with your own servers. That is Coolify . No vendor lock in, which means that all the configurations for your applications/databases/etc are saved to your server. So, if you decide to stop using Coolify (oh…
read the full Coolify overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or Coolify more popular?
Docker has 72,241 GitHub stars and Coolify has 65,647. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and Coolify free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Coolify under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and Coolify?
Docker is written in Go and Coolify in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Docker or Coolify?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,241 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Coolify if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.