head to head · open source
kubernetes vs Docker
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars, 44,692 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped today. Docker has 72,113 stars, 19,233 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. kubernetes leads on adoption by 77% (127,843 vs 72,113 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 35% as many forks as stars, Docker 27%. kubernetes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (containers, go), 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
| kubernetes | Docker | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 128K | ★ 72K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 45K | ⑂ 19K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 128K 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 Docker if
- You want the Docker feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Docker fits your workflow better
About kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed system for managing containerized applications across multiple hosts, hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and aimed at teams who deploy, maintain and scale container packaged and microservices oriented workloads in production.
read the full kubernetes overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or Docker more popular?
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars and Docker has 72,113. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and Docker free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Docker under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and Docker?
kubernetes is written in Go and Docker in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, kubernetes or Docker?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (127,843 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Docker if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.