# Docker Agent vs Mastra (slim)

> 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.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-mastra.md (~3,750 tokens) · this version ~1,630 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-mastra.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-mastra
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-07
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)

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: BB 73.6, rank #102 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.min.md
- Mastra: BB 74.2, rank #91 of 1510 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/mastra.min.md
- Docker Agent, 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 No key needed to call it; Free to start without a card.
- Mastra, 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.

| Category | Docker Agent | Mastra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 88 | 87 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 90 | 98 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 81 | 92 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 70 | 67 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 60 | 60 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 96 | 96 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 81 | 72 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Docker Agent | Mastra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Docker | Kepler Software, Inc. |
| Auth | None | API key |
| 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 |
| 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 benchmarking | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 29k stars, 3.1M npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 2.8/5 (4) | none |

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).)