# Docker Engine vs vLLM

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

| | Docker Engine | vLLM |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 80/100 | 91/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in Container Orchestration | #3 of 25 in LLM Inference |
| GitHub stars | 72 220 | 95 774 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +88 | +3 222 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | docker-v29.9.2 · 20 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.32.0 · 17 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

vLLM scores 91/100 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 14 for vLLM.

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

vLLM is growing faster right now (+3 222 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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