# AgentOS vs Docker Agent

> Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against AgentOS's 75.3 (BB), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AgentOS leads on security & auth. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent.md (~2,150 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against AgentOS's 75.3 (BB), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AgentOS leads on security & auth. Both do agent frameworks.

- AgentOS: grade BB, 75.3/100, rank #46 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentos.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agentos.json
- Docker Agent: grade BB, 76.5/100, rank #30 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json

## Which one, for what

### AgentOS (BB)

Good for: TypeScript teams that want long-term memory, personas, voice and channel adapters and multi-agent teams in one package, and that will pin versions.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 81 against 70

Watch for: Version 0.12.12, with 27 releases on 7 and 8 October 2026 and breaking minors 0.11.0 and 0.12.0 on the same day

### Docker Agent (BB)

Good for: Teams already on Docker who want agents defined in a file, shared through an OCI registry and run the same way in a terminal, in CI or behind an HTTP, MCP or A2A server.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 88 against 77
- Agent ergonomics, 81 against 74
- Maintenance & community, 96 against 87
- Transparency & trust, 80 against 64

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it

Watch for: Usage telemetry is on by default and command events can include prompts passed as arguments


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | AgentOS | Docker Agent | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 77 | 88 | Docker Agent +11 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 92 | 90 | AgentOS +2 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 74 | 81 | Docker Agent +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 81 | 70 | AgentOS +11 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 87 | 96 | Docker Agent +9 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 80 | Docker Agent +16 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -4 | |
| **Total** | | **75.3 · BB** | **76.5 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | AgentOS | Docker Agent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Framers Lab, Inc. | Docker |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | API key | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-08 | 2026-10-07 |
| Terms last updated | 2025-11-06 | 2026-08-26 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-11-06 | 2026-08-26 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 677 stars, 5.3k npm/wk | 4k stars |

## Verdicts

**AgentOS.** A TypeScript agent framework with typed tools, six multi-agent strategies, checkpointed graphs, approval gates and no telemetry of its own. It is at 0.12.12 after 98 releases in 90 days, two of them breaking on 7 October 2026. No MCP client was found in the package, and code tools an agent writes run in an in-process node:vm context.

**Docker Agent.** An agent with an MCP server is eight lines of YAML, and the same file runs in a terminal, headless, or as an HTTP, MCP or A2A server. Usage telemetry is on by default and can carry prompts passed as command arguments, and two high-severity approval bypasses were fixed in August and September 2026.

## Before you call either

### AgentOS

1. Pin an exact version of @framers/agentos. Feature commits ship as patch releases while it is 0.x, and breaking changes ship as minors
2. Leave emergentConfig.allowSandboxTools off unless forged code runs through an executor that isolates. The default executor shares the host process
3. Pass your own ICheckpointStore to compile() for runs that must survive a restart. The default store is in memory
4. Set hitl.approvals.beforeTool for tools that write, and choose a handler. No approval gate is on by default
5. Use Node 22 or newer, and set a provider key such as OPENAI_API_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. The provider is detected from the environment

### Docker Agent

1. Set `TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false` before `run` or `exec` with a prompt on the command line. Telemetry is on by default and sends positional arguments
2. For unattended runs pass `--safety restricted` with an allow-list, or `--sandbox`. Without a policy, `--exec` rejects every tool call that needs approval
3. Set `max_iterations` and a `budget` block in the config. Both are unlimited by default
4. Run 1.130.0 or later. Earlier versions ran shell commands embedded in local skills, and A2A sessions before 1.126.0 skipped tool approval
5. Review `runtime.safety` in any config pulled from a registry or URL. An author default of `autonomous` runs every tool call unprompted

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, AgentOS or Docker Agent?

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against AgentOS's 75.3 (BB), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. AgentOS leads on security & auth.

### Are AgentOS and Docker Agent open source?

Yes. AgentOS is open source (Apache-2.0). Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-docker-agent.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "agentos", "b": "docker-agent"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare agentos docker-agent`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agentos.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json

## Other comparisons with AgentOS or Docker Agent

- [AgentOS vs Agno](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-agno.md)
- [AgentOS vs Claude Agent SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-claude-agent-sdk.md)
- [AgentOS vs CrewAI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-crewai.md)
- [AgentOS vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-google-adk.md)
- [AgentOS vs LangGraph](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-langgraph.md)
- [AgentOS vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [AgentOS vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [AgentOS vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentos-vs-pydantic-ai.md)
- [Agno vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agno-vs-docker-agent.md)
- [Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent.md)
- [CrewAI vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crewai-vs-docker-agent.md)
- [Docker Agent vs Agent Development Kit (ADK)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-google-adk.md)
- [Docker Agent vs LangGraph](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-langgraph.md)
- [Docker Agent vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Docker Agent vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [Docker Agent vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-pydantic-ai.md)