compare

Apptainer vs nerdctl

The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.

Apptainer vs nerdctl
Fact	Apptainer	nerdctl
Language	Go	Go
Licence	Other	Apache-2.0
Stars	2k	10k
Latest	v1.5.5	v2.4.2
Last push	2026-11-09	2026-11-09
Release cadence	about 30 days between releases	about 20 days between releases
Active contributors	14 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days	33 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days
Flags	none	none

How they relate

Both replace Docker Engine (Moby). Alternatives to Docker Engine (Moby) →
PartialApptainerRuns containers without root and without a daemon, built for HPC with single-file SIF images.
Full replacementnerdctlA Docker-compatible command line for containerd.