head to head · open source
Docker vs Nitric
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars, 19,309 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Nitric has 2,018 stars, 126 forks, 45 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 3,480% (72,238 vs 2,018 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Nitric is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, Nitric 6%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (go, golang), 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 | Nitric | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-24 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 126 |
| 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 Nitric if
- You want the Nitric 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 Nitric 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 Nitric
Effortless backends with infrastructure from code Nitric is a multi language framework, with concise inline infrastructure from code. Modern applications should be robust, productive and a joy to build. Nitric solves common problems building for modern platforms: Easy infrastructure from code Build for any host without coupling Run locally IAM for humans Common resources like databases, queues/topics, APIs, key value, buckets and more Change services, IaC tools or cloud providers without changing code We also know abstraction should mean building on existing layers, not hiding them. Nitric includes powerful…
read the full Nitric overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or Nitric more popular?
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars and Nitric has 2,018. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and Nitric free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Nitric under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and Nitric?
Docker is written in Go and Nitric 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, Docker or Nitric?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,238 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Nitric if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.