Moby

Moby is the upstream open-source project that powers Docker Engine. It packages the Docker daemon (dockerd), a Go client library, the Engine API definition, image and container runtimes, networking, storage drivers, and a swarm-mode cluster manager into a single Linux/Windows container engine codebase.

This repository is the codebase for github.com/moby/moby/v2. It produces binaries (the daemon, docker-proxy, and helpers) rather than a stable Go library. Two sub-modules are intended for external use: github.com/moby/moby/api (request/response types) and github.com/moby/moby/client (a Go client for the Engine API).

What this codebase is

• The container engine that Docker Engine ships. The dockerd binary is built from cmd/dockerd/main.go.
• The reference implementation of the Engine API. api/swagger.yaml is the single source of truth for the HTTP surface.
• The home of libnetwork, the CNM-based networking library, and the Moby integration with containerd and BuildKit.

What it isn't

• Not a desktop product. For a supported product, the README points users to Docker Desktop or Mirantis Container Runtime (see README.md).
• Not a stable Go library at the root. Only the api/ and client/ modules carry SemVer guarantees.

Quick map

graph LR
  CLI["docker CLI<br/>(separate repo)"] -->|HTTP/Unix sock| API[Engine API]
  SDK["Go client<br/>moby/moby/client"] --> API
  API --> Daemon[dockerd<br/>cmd/dockerd]
  Daemon --> CRD[containerd]
  Daemon --> LN[libnetwork]
  Daemon --> IMG[image / layer / distribution]
  Daemon --> VOL[volumes]
  Daemon --> CL[swarm cluster]
  Daemon --> BK[BuildKit]

Where to go next

• New here? Start with Architecture and Getting started.
• Looking for terminology? See the Glossary.
• Working on a subsystem? Open the Systems section.
• Tracing an HTTP endpoint? See the API section.
• Curious about history and stats? See Lore and By the numbers.