head to head · open source
esbuild vs Dokku
esbuild has 40,122 GitHub stars, 1,367 forks, 622 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. Dokku has 32,222 stars, 2,098 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped yesterday. esbuild leads on adoption by 25% (40,122 vs 32,222 stars). esbuild is written in Go under MIT; Dokku is written in Go under MIT. esbuild has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, Dokku 7%. Dokku 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
| esbuild | Dokku | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 32K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-08-09 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick esbuild if
- You weight community size — 40K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Dokku if
- You want the Dokku feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Dokku fits your workflow better
About esbuild
Website Getting started Documentation Plugins FAQ Why? Our current build tools for the web are 10 100x slower than they could be: The main goal of the esbuild bundler project is to bring about a new era of build tool performance, and create an easy to use modern bundler along the way. Major features: Extreme speed without needing a cache JavaScript, CSS, TypeScript, and JSX built in A straightforward API for CLI, JS, and Go Bundles ESM and CommonJS modules Bundles CSS including CSS modules Tree shaking, minification, and source maps Local server, watch mode, and plugins Check out the getting started instructions…
read the full esbuild overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is esbuild or Dokku more popular?
esbuild has 40,122 GitHub stars and Dokku has 32,222. esbuild has the larger community by that measure.
Are esbuild and Dokku free?
Both are open source. esbuild is licensed under MIT and Dokku under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between esbuild and Dokku?
esbuild is written in Go and Dokku in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, esbuild or Dokku?
Choose esbuild if you want the larger community (40,122 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Dokku if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.