PortainervsSonatype Nexus
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Portainer | Sonatype Nexus | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 77/100 | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 44 in Container Management | #2 of 11 in Package Management |
| GitHub stars | 38 736 | 2 689 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +187 | +34 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 | 30 |
| Latest release | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 | release-3.97.2-02 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Zlib | EPL-1.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Portainer scores 77/100 against 64/100 for Sonatype Nexus, so it is the safer default.
Sonatype Nexus ships more often: 30 stable releases in the past year, against 21 for Portainer.
If you want the quickest setup, Portainer is easier to run; Sonatype Nexus needs more configuration.
Portainer is growing faster right now (+187 stars in 30 days).
Portainer details →Sonatype Nexus details →
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