Docker Enginevsprometheus
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Docker Engine | prometheus | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 90/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration | #1 of 104 in Monitoring & observability |
| GitHub stars | 72 219 | 66 827 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +87 | +631 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 | 16 |
| Latest release | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 | v3.15.1 · 21 Oct 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?
prometheus scores 90/100 against 80/100 for Docker Engine, so it is the safer default.
Docker Engine ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 16 for prometheus.
If you want the quickest setup, prometheus is easier to run; Docker Engine needs more configuration.
prometheus is growing faster right now (+631 stars in 30 days).
Docker Engine details →prometheus details →
Swap a project
Keep Docker Engine, compare it with
Keep prometheus, compare it with