# Docker Agent vs LangGraph

> Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against LangGraph's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-langgraph
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-langgraph.md (~2,000 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-langgraph.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-langgraph.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 LangGraph's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.

- Docker Agent: grade BB, 76.5/100, rank #30 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json
- LangGraph: grade BB, 70.6/100, rank #131 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/langgraph.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/langgraph.json

## Which one, for what

### 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 75
- Agent ergonomics, 81 against 70
- Security & auth, 70 against 60
- Maintenance & community, 96 against 90

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

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

### LangGraph (BB)

Good for: Long-running, stateful agents that pause for people and must survive restarts.

Watch for: No MCP client of its own. LangChain's langchain.mcp is in beta


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Docker Agent | LangGraph | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 88 | 75 | Docker Agent +13 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 89 | Docker Agent +1 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 70 | Docker Agent +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 70 | 60 | Docker Agent +10 |
| 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) | 96 | 90 | Docker Agent +6 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 79 | Docker Agent +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | -3 | |
| **Total** | | **76.5 · BB** | **70.6 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Docker Agent | LangGraph |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Docker | LangChain |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | None | None |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-07 | 2026-09-21 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-26 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes |  |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 42k stars, 2.3M npm/wk, 10.4M PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 3.5/5 (2) |

## Verdicts

**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.

**LangGraph.** Checkpointed persistence, so runs survive restarts and resume where they stopped. No MCP client of its own. LangChain's langchain.mcp is in beta.

## Before you call either

### 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

### LangGraph

1. Use a persistent checkpointer in production, not the in-memory one
2. Move from langchain-mcp-adapters to langchain.mcp, and expect a LangChainBetaWarning
3. Set LANGGRAPH_CLI_NO_ANALYTICS=1 on build machines
4. Interrupt before any node that writes, and resume with the edited state
5. Keep the checkpoint and SQLite packages current. Each had a high-severity advisory in late 2025

## Questions

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

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against LangGraph's 70.6 (BB), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

### Are Docker Agent and LangGraph open source?

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


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Docker Agent or LangGraph

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