head to head · open source
Docker vs mirrord
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars, 19,309 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. mirrord has 5,401 stars, 227 forks, 73 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Docker leads on adoption by 1,237% (72,238 vs 5,401 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; mirrord is written in Rust under MIT. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, mirrord 4%. mirrord 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
| Docker | mirrord | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 5.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 227 |
| 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 mirrord if
- You want the mirrord feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and mirrord 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 mirrord
mirrord runs your local process inside a live Kubernetes cluster. It works the same way for developers and for AI coding agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, Windsurf): your code runs on your machine, but mirrord routes its traffic, files, and environment variables through a target pod in the cluster. That covers both halves of the software development loop. Read live cluster context while writing the code (real env vars, real service responses, real queue contents) so the change is grounded in what's actually deployed. Then run the code against those same services and data to confirm it works end to…
read the full mirrord overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or mirrord more popular?
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars and mirrord has 5,401. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and mirrord free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and mirrord under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and mirrord?
Docker is written in Go and mirrord in Rust. 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 mirrord?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,238 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose mirrord if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.