# Docker Agent vs Mastra

> Mastra and Docker Agent score within a point of each other for agent frameworks, 74.2 and 73.6 out of 100. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-07

Mastra and Docker Agent score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 74.2 (BB) and 73.6 (BB). Docker Agent leads on transparency & trust. Both do agent frameworks.

- Docker Agent: grade BB, 73.6/100, rank #102 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json
- Mastra: grade BB, 74.2/100, rank #91 of 1510. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mastra.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/mastra.json
- Best agent frameworks and SDKs: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/frameworks/index.md
- All 171 frameworks comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/frameworks/index.md

## 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:
- Transparency & trust, 81 against 72

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Free to start without a card

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

### Mastra (BB)

Good for: TypeScript teams that want agents, workflows, memory, evals and a local Studio in one framework.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 98 against 90
- Agent ergonomics, 92 against 81

Watch for: Malicious versions of Mastra npm packages, including @mastra/core 1.42.1, were published on 17 June 2026


## Why the edge

### Agent ergonomics: Mastra +11

- Docker Agent (81): Framework reading, scored on what an agent with MCP needs. The README's agent with one MCP server is eight lines of YAML and no code, with deferred toolsets and a code mode (23). Budgets cap cost, tokens and time, tool results are bounded to 50 KiB since 1.148.0, and context is compacted, but `max_iterations` is unlimited and no budget applies unless declared (16). `--json` writes one NDJSON event per message, tool call and error, and the API documents 404, 409, 413 and 502 responses. No exit-code reference found for `run --exec` (14). Sessions resume from SQLite, the event stream replays from a sequence number, follow-ups accept an `Idempotency-Key`, and read-only and destructive tool annotations drive the safety modes (18). One binary and a model key or a local model are enough to start. The library is Go only (10).
- Mastra (92): An MCP client in about ten lines with listTools() for static or listToolsets() for per-request tools, and ToolSearchProcessor for loading tools on demand (25). Step limits, memory windows and processors such as a token limiter control what reaches the model (20). MastraError with ids and categories, and processors can abort with a reason the caller can read (17). Workflow step retries, snapshots and durable agents for resuming (20). create-mastra scaffolds a project and the model router takes a plain string, but it's TypeScript only (10).

### Transparency & trust: Docker Agent +9

- Docker Agent (81): Apache-2.0 (30). The telemetry page lists what's collected and warns that arguments and error text can carry secrets or personal data. It doesn't name the endpoint (api.docker.com, per the source), link Docker's privacy policy or give a retention period, unchanged on 17 October (15). Breaking changes are dated in the changelog and one renamed variable kept a fallback for one release, with no written deprecation policy, and the changelog says frozen config schema versions aren't maintained long-term (10). Telemetry is disclosed in the README, the docs and a first-start notice, with an opt-out variable (20).
- Mastra (72): Apache 2.0 for the core, with ee/ directories source-available under the Mastra Enterprise License (25). The privacy policy (last published 25 April 2025) covers the website, the Teams plan states six months' retention, and the subprocessor list sits in a trust centre our reader couldn't render (15). Migration guides and deprecation warnings, without dated removal windows (12). Every telemetry stream is documented with links to its source and one opt-out, and the reference now spells out what the project identifiers can be correlated with (20).

### Schema & documentation: Mastra +8

- Docker Agent (90): Framework reading. agent-schema.json in the repository is a JSON Schema for the whole config, and the chat server serves its OpenAPI document at /openapi.json. We found no OpenAPI document for the native /api server and didn't check the Go package reference (22). llms.txt on docker.github.io/docker-agent and on docs.docker.com (10). The docs say when to use the API server and when the chat server, compare six ways to pass large input, and state that permissions aren't a security boundary (17). Configs are parsed strictly, unknown fields fail to load with a hint, and safety fields accept four named modes only (13). An examples directory, a troubleshooting page of common errors and documented HTTP status codes for the API. We found no exit-code reference for `run --exec` (13). A dated CHANGELOG.md and a numbered config schema, now version 16, with migration on load (15).
- Mastra (98): Typed TypeScript API with a reference section (25). llms.txt with a when-to-use list and condensed instructions for coding agents (10). The docs say when to use durable agents, and point multi-agent users from `.network()` to supervisor agents (20). Tools take Zod schemas (15). Examples on every page, and MastraError with ids and categories documented, though errors are spread across pages (13). Per-package changelogs and migration guides (15).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Docker Agent | Mastra | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 88 | 87 | Docker Agent +1 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 98 | Mastra +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 92 | Mastra +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 70 | 67 | Docker Agent +3 |
| 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 | 96 | even |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 81 | 72 | Docker Agent +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -7 | -8 | |
| **Total** | | **73.6 · BB** | **74.2 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Docker Agent | Mastra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Docker | Kepler Software, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | None | API key |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 for the core. Code under ee/ directories is source-available under the Mastra Enterprise License, free for development and testing |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-04 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | 2026-10-26 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-26 | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 29k stars, 3.1M npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 2.8/5 (4) | none |

## How the scores have moved

### Docker Agent

- -3.0 on 1 November 2026: negative event
- +0.1 on 27 October 2026: checklist

### Mastra

No score change since it was listed.

## 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 breaking changes keep shipping in minor releases, two of them in October 2026 without a breaking label.

**Mastra.** A TypeScript framework with agents, workflows with suspend and resume, memory, an MCP client and server, per-server tool approval and built-in guardrail processors including a prompt-injection detector. On 17 June 2026 malicious versions of its npm packages were published, and the CLI, server and Studio send usage analytics by default, with token counts every 15 minutes.

## 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
6. Pass `--auth-token` to `serve api` on any non-loopback address from 1.152.0, or it won't start. Don't rely on MCP sampling, removed in 1.153.0

### Mastra

1. Set MASTRA_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1 in every environment that runs the CLI, the server or Studio
2. Pin exact versions with a lockfile, and make sure no 17 June 2026 release such as @mastra/core 1.42.1 is installed
3. Set requireToolApproval on MCP servers that write, and allowedHosts when server URLs come from configuration
4. Add PromptInjectionDetector as an input processor when tools return web or user content
5. Use supervisor agents through generate() or stream(). `.network()` is deprecated

## Questions

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

Mastra and Docker Agent score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 74.2 (BB) and 73.6 (BB). Docker Agent leads on transparency & trust.

### Are Docker Agent and Mastra open source?

Yes. Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0). Mastra is open source (Apache-2.0 for the core. Code under ee/ directories is source-available under the Mastra Enterprise License, free for development and testing).


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Docker Agent or Mastra

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- [Claude Agent SDK vs Docker Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-agent-sdk-vs-docker-agent.md)
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- [Docker Agent vs LlamaIndex Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-llamaindex.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)
- [Docker Agent vs smolagents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-smolagents.md)
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- [Docker Agent vs TradingAgents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-tradingagents.md)
- [Docker Agent vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)
- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs Mastra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-mastra.md)
- [guilds.run vs Mastra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-mastra.md)
- [LangGraph vs Mastra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langgraph-vs-mastra.md)
- [LlamaIndex Framework vs Mastra](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/llamaindex-vs-mastra.md)
- [Mastra vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [Mastra vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [Mastra vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-pydantic-ai.md)
- [Mastra vs smolagents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-smolagents.md)
- [Mastra vs Strands Agents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-strands-agents.md)
- [Mastra vs TradingAgents](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-tradingagents.md)
- [Mastra vs AI SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mastra-vs-vercel-ai-sdk.md)

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