head to head · open source
kubernetes vs Dokku
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars, 44,692 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped today. Dokku has 32,147 stars, 2,075 forks, 36 open issues and last shipped today. kubernetes leads on adoption by 298% (127,843 vs 32,147 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Dokku is written in Go under MIT. kubernetes has attracted 35% as many forks as stars, Dokku 6%. kubernetes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (containers, kubernetes), 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
| kubernetes | Dokku | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 128K | ★ 32K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 45K | ⑂ 2.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 128K 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 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 kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed system for managing containerized applications across multiple hosts, hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and aimed at teams who deploy, maintain and scale container packaged and microservices oriented workloads in production.
read the full kubernetes overview →
About Dokku
Dokku is a self hosted Platform as a Service (PaaS) that runs on a single server using Docker containers. It enables developers to deploy applications using familiar workflows like git push , mimicking the simplicity of Heroku while running entirely under the user’s control. Dokku lives in the DevOps and infrastructure automation ecosystem, targeting teams that want PaaS convenience without relying on cloud vendor lock in.
read the full Dokku overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or Dokku more popular?
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars and Dokku has 32,147. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and Dokku free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Dokku under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and Dokku?
kubernetes 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, kubernetes or Dokku?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (127,843 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Dokku if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.