# ContainerNursery vs Docker Engine

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | ContainerNursery | Docker Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 47/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #4 of 5 in Docker Management | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration |
| GitHub stars | 256 | 72 222 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +90 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 17 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Docker Engine scores 80/100 against 47/100 for ContainerNursery, so it is the safer default.

Docker Engine ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for ContainerNursery.

If you want the quickest setup, ContainerNursery is easier to run; Docker Engine needs more configuration.

Docker Engine is growing faster right now (+90 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [ContainerNursery](https://selfhost.directory/project/containernursery) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/containernursery.md)
- [Docker Engine](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/containernursery-vs-docker-engine