head to head · open source
Docker vs robusta
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars, 19,309 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. robusta has 3,130 stars, 329 forks, 204 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 2,208% (72,238 vs 3,130 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; robusta is written in Python under MIT. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, robusta 11%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (containers, docker), 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 | robusta | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 329 |
| 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 robusta if
- You want the robusta feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and robusta 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 robusta
Robusta Classic Prometheus Alert Enrichment for Kubernetes Note: This repository contains Robusta Classic — the rule based alert enrichment engine. For AI powered root cause analysis, see HolmesGPT. Both can be installed together as part of the Robusta platform. What Can Robusta Do? How it Works Installation Integrations ↗ Docs ↗ Slack Community ↗ Compatible with kube prometheus stack, Prometheus Operator, and more. Robusta integrates with Prometheus by webhook and adds features like: Smart Grouping reduce notification spam with Slack threads 🧵 AI Investigation Kickstart alert investigation with AI (optional)…
read the full robusta overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or robusta more popular?
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars and robusta has 3,130. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and robusta free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and robusta under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and robusta?
Docker is written in Go and robusta in Python. 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 robusta?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,238 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose robusta if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.