head to head · open source
Dokku vs penguin-harness
Dokku has 32,220 GitHub stars, 2,098 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. penguin-harness has 3,130 stars, 335 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Dokku leads on adoption by 929% (32,220 vs 3,130 stars). Dokku is written in Shell under MIT; penguin-harness is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. Dokku has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, penguin-harness 11%. penguin-harness 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
| Dokku | penguin-harness | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Shell | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 335 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Dokku if
- You weight community size — 32K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick penguin-harness if
- You want the penguin-harness feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and penguin-harness fits your workflow better
About Dokku
Dokku Docker powered mini Heroku. The smallest PaaS implementation you've ever seen. Sponsors Become a sponsor and get your logo on our README on GitHub with a link to your site. [Become a sponsor] Backers Support us with a monthly donation and help us continue our activities. [Become a backer] [ ](
read the full Dokku overview →
About penguin-harness
PenguinHarness Open source, local first multi agent app development platform Fully automate building · optimizing · deploying AI applications 1000+ Models · Multi Platform · Apache 2.0 · Agent Self Evolution = 24" / English 简体中文 Why PenguinHarness With LangChain, you build agents by hand — at 1× speed. With PenguinHarness, agents build agents — at 100×. PenguinHarness runs on your computer or server and automates the agent app lifecycle from creation and evaluation to optimization and deployment. Three reasons define the platform: 1. 🏆 Outstanding results at tens of times less cost A deliberately minimal…
read the full penguin-harness overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Dokku or penguin-harness more popular?
Dokku has 32,220 GitHub stars and penguin-harness has 3,130. Dokku has the larger community by that measure.
Are Dokku and penguin-harness free?
Both are open source. Dokku is licensed under MIT and penguin-harness under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Dokku and penguin-harness?
Dokku is written in Shell and penguin-harness in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Dokku or penguin-harness?
Choose Dokku if you want the larger community (32,220 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose penguin-harness if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.