compare

containerd vs nerdctl

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

containerd vs nerdctl
Fact	containerd	nerdctl
Language	Go	Go
Licence	Apache-2.0	Apache-2.0
Stars	21k	10k
Latest	v2.4.1	v2.4.1
Last push	2026-10-05	2026-10-05
Release cadence	about 1 day between releases	about 37 days between releases
Active contributors	44 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days	36 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) →
PartialcontainerdThe runtime Docker itself runs on, without image builds or the Docker CLI; driven by Kubernetes or nerdctl.
Full replacementnerdctlA Docker-compatible command line for containerd.