head to head · open source
Docker vs trivy
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars, 19,309 forks, 3,902 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. trivy has 38,956 stars, 819 forks, 269 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Docker leads on adoption by 85% (72,238 vs 38,956 stars). Docker is written in Go under Apache-2.0; trivy is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Docker has attracted 27% as many forks as stars, trivy 2%. Docker was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (containers, docker, go, golang), 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 | trivy | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 72K | ★ 39K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 19K | ⑂ 819 |
| 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 trivy if
- You want the trivy feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and trivy 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 trivy
[![GitHub Release][release img]][release] [![Test][test img]][test] [![Go Report Card][go report img]][go report] [![License: Apache 2.0][license img]][license] [![GitHub Downloads][github downloads img]][release] ![Docker Pulls][docker pulls] [📖 Documentation][docs] Trivy ([pronunciation][pronunciation]) is a comprehensive and versatile security scanner. Trivy has scanners that look for security issues, and targets where it can find those issues. Targets (what Trivy can scan): Container Image Filesystem Git Repository (remote) Virtual Machine Image Kubernetes Scanners (what Trivy can find there): OS packages…
read the full trivy overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Docker or trivy more popular?
Docker has 72,238 GitHub stars and trivy has 38,956. Docker has the larger community by that measure.
Are Docker and trivy free?
Both are open source. Docker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and trivy under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Docker and trivy?
Docker is written in Go and trivy 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, Docker or trivy?
Choose Docker if you want the larger community (72,238 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose trivy if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.