head to head · open source
Docker vs wasm3
Docker has 72,241 GitHub stars, 19,301 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. wasm3 has 8,078 stars, 537 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. Docker leads on adoption by 794% (72,241 vs 8,078 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; wasm3 is written in C under MIT. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, wasm3 7%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (containers), 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 | wasm3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 8.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | C |
| Last push | 2026-11-05 | 2026-09-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 537 |
| 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 wasm3 if
- You want the wasm3 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and wasm3 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 wasm3
[!NOTE] I regret to inform the community that since my house was destroyed by russians who invaded my country, Wasm3 will enter a minimal maintenance phase . At this time, I am unable to continue the development of new features. However, I am committed to keeping the project alive and will actively review and merge incoming Pull Requests. I deeply appreciate your understanding and support during this difficult period. Your contributions to Wasm3 are now more valuable than ever. Wasm3 A fast WebAssembly interpreter and the most universal WASM runtime. See CoreMark 1.0 and independent benchmarks. Your mileage may…
read the full wasm3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or wasm3 more popular?
Docker has 72,241 GitHub stars and wasm3 has 8,078. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and wasm3 free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and wasm3 under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and wasm3?
Docker is written in Go and wasm3 in C. 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 wasm3?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,241 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose wasm3 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.