head to head · open source
Docker vs pyinfra
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars, 19,309 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. pyinfra has 6,069 stars, 562 forks, 160 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 1,090% (72,238 vs 6,069 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; pyinfra is written in Python under MIT. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, pyinfra 9%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | pyinfra | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 6.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 562 |
| 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 pyinfra if
- You want the pyinfra feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pyinfra 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 pyinfra
pyinfra turns Python code into shell commands and runs them on your servers. Execute ad hoc commands and write declarative operations. Target SSH servers, local machine and Docker containers. Fast and scales from one server to thousands. Think ansible but Python instead of YAML, and a lot faster. Getting Started • Examples Repo • Chat on Matrix Documentation • Help & Support • Contributing Why pyinfra? Design features include: + 🚀 Super fast execution over thousands of hosts with predictable performance. + 🚨 Instant debugging with realtime stdin/stdout/stderr output ( vvv ). + 🔄 Idempotent…
read the full pyinfra overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or pyinfra more popular?
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars and pyinfra has 6,069. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and pyinfra free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pyinfra under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and pyinfra?
Docker is written in Go and pyinfra 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 pyinfra?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,238 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pyinfra if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.