head to head · open source
Docker vs Coolify
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars, 19,233 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Coolify has 62,040 stars, 5,500 forks, 649 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Docker leads on adoption by 16% (72,113 vs 62,040 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 | ★ 62K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 5.5K |
| 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
Docker, published here as the Moby Project, is the open source collection of container toolkit components and the framework for assembling them into custom container based systems, built for engineers, integrators and enthusiasts who want to modify, hack and build on container code rather than buy a commercially supported product.
read the full Docker overview →
About Coolify
Coolify is an open source, self hostable Platform as a Service (PaaS) designed to replace commercial services like Vercel, Heroku, and Netlify. It runs on user provided infrastructure—VPS, bare metal, or Raspberry Pi—and automates deployment, scaling, and management of applications, databases, and services using Docker and Docker Compose. Built with Laravel and PHP, it lives in the infrastructure and operations ecosystem, targeting developers and DevOps teams seeking vendor lock in free control over their deployment stack.
read the full Coolify overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or Coolify more popular?
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars and Coolify has 62,040. 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 (72,113 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.