# Docker Engine vs Pelican Panel

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

| | Docker Engine | Pelican Panel |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration | #13 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 72 218 ✓ | 2 411 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +86 ✓ | +81 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

Docker Engine scores 80/100 against 64/100 for Pelican Panel, so it is the safer default.

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

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

## Details

- [Docker Engine](https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/docker-engine.md)
- [Pelican Panel](https://selfhost.directory/project/pelican-panel) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pelican-panel.md)

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