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nerdctl vs Podman Compose: catalog facts
nerdctl	Podman Compose
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.	Free Free and open source under the GPL 2.0 licence.
Linux, Command line	Command line
Same commands as docker, so existing habits carry over Runs Docker Compose files	Runs existing docker-compose.yml files Rootless and daemonless
Requires containerd rather than working with an existing Docker daemon Many advanced features are optional extras that need separate setup	Needs a Podman network backend with DNS resolution Older Podman versions require the legacy 0.1.x branch
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.