head to head · open source
Docker vs wasm3
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars, 19,233 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped yesterday. wasm3 has 8,028 stars, 539 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Docker leads on adoption by 798% (72,113 vs 8,028 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 | ★ 8.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 539 |
| 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
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 wasm3
Wasm3 is a fast, MIT licensed WebAssembly interpreter written in C that runs across x86, ARM, RISC V, MIPS, Xtensa and other architectures — from ESP8266 microcontrollers and OpenWrt routers to browsers and Linux servers — and it is aimed at developers and embedded engineers who need to execute portable Wasm or WASI code where a full size runtime will not fit.
read the full wasm3 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or wasm3 more popular?
Docker has 72,113 GitHub stars and wasm3 has 8,028. 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 (72,113 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose wasm3 if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.