# Docker Engine vs Thingsboard

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

| | Docker Engine | Thingsboard |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration | #1 of 10 in IoT |
| GitHub stars | 72 222 ✓ | 22 615 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +90 | +145 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 | 24 ✓ |
| Latest release | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 | v4.3.1.8 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Go | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Docker Engine scores 80/100 against 76/100 for Thingsboard, so it is the safer default.

Thingsboard ships more often: 24 stable releases in the past year, against 17 for Docker Engine.

## Details

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

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