head to head · open source
Docker vs homelab
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars, 19,233 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. homelab has 9,615 stars, 886 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 650% (72,113 vs 9,615 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; homelab is written in Python under GPL-3.0. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, homelab 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 | homelab | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 886 |
| 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 homelab if
- You want the homelab feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and homelab 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 homelab
homelab is an Infrastructure as Code and GitOps framework written in Python and released under GPL 3.0 that takes a homelab from an empty disk to running self hosted services with a single command, built for self hosters, home operations practitioners, and anyone who wants to run their own services on Kubernetes.
read the full homelab overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or homelab more popular?
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars and homelab has 9,615. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and homelab free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and homelab under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and homelab?
Docker is written in Go and homelab in Python. 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 homelab?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,113 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose homelab if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.