head to head · open source
Docker vs openebs
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars, 19,233 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. openebs has 9,813 stars, 983 forks, 37 open issues and last shipped today. Docker leads on adoption by 635% (72,113 vs 9,813 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; openebs is written in various languages under Apache-2.0. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, openebs 10%. openebs 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 | openebs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 9.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | — |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 983 |
| 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 openebs if
- You want the openebs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- You evaluated both and openebs 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 openebs
OpenEBS is an open source, CNCF Sandbox container native storage platform that gives Kubernetes stateful applications persistent volumes through containerized storage controllers, and it is aimed at platform, infrastructure, and DevOps teams that run stateful workloads on Kubernetes.
read the full openebs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or openebs more popular?
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars and openebs has 9,813. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and openebs free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and openebs under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and openebs?
Docker is written in Go and openebs in various languages. 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 openebs?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,113 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose openebs if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.