Docker EnginevsNakama
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Docker Engine | Nakama | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration | #4 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 72 223 | 13 606 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +90 | +64 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 | 9 |
| Latest release | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 | v3.41.0 · 18 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Docker Engine scores 80/100 against 75/100 for Nakama, so it is the safer default.
Docker Engine ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Nakama.
If you want the quickest setup, Nakama is easier to run; Docker Engine needs more configuration.
Docker Engine details →Nakama details →
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