--- title: "agent-protocol vs moby" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/agi-inc-agent-protocol-vs-moby-moby" tools: ["agi-inc-agent-protocol", "moby-moby"] --- # agent-protocol vs moby *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick agent-protocol when agent-protocol is primarily Python; moby is Go; pick moby when moby is primarily Go; agent-protocol is Python. [agent-protocol](https://agentprotocol.ai) reports 1.5k GitHub stars, 185 forks, and 47 open issues, last pushed Apr 8, 2025. [moby](https://mobyproject.org/) has 72k stars, 19k forks, and 3.8k open issues, last pushed Jul 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agent-protocol's repository](https://github.com/agi-inc/agent-protocol) and [moby's repository](https://github.com/moby/moby). | | [agent-protocol](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol.md) | [moby](/tools/moby-moby.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Common interface for interacting with AI agents. The protocol is tech stack agnostic - you can use it with any framework for building agents. | The Moby Project - a collaborative project for the container ecosystem to assemble container-based systems | | Stars | 1,462 | 71,899 | | Forks | 185 | 19,126 | | Open issues | 47 | 3,821 | | Language | Python | Go | | Adopt for | - | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | LLM Frameworks, AI Agents, Inference & Serving | LLM Frameworks, Inference & Serving, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [agent-protocol](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol.md) | [moby](/tools/moby-moby.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 459d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 47 | 3.8k | | Security scan | 35 low (35 low) | No criticals | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/moby-moby/trust.md) | ## Choose when ### Choose agent-protocol if… - agent-protocol is primarily Python; moby is Go. - License: agent-protocol is MIT, moby is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to agent-protocol: llms, auto-gpt, agents, ai. - Also covers AI Agents. ### Choose moby if… - moby is primarily Go; agent-protocol is Python. - License: moby is Apache-2.0, agent-protocol is MIT. - Tags unique to moby: go, docker, golang, containers. - Also covers Developer Tools. - moby ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ## When NOT to use agent-protocol - Last GitHub push was 460 days ago (dormant maintenance, Apr 8, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on agent-protocol. - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ## When NOT to use moby - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between agent-protocol and moby? agent-protocol: Common interface for interacting with AI agents. The protocol is tech stack agnostic - you can use it with any framework for building agents.. moby: The Moby Project - a collaborative project for the container ecosystem to assemble container-based systems. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose agent-protocol over moby? Choose agent-protocol over moby when agent-protocol is primarily Python; moby is Go; License: agent-protocol is MIT, moby is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agent-protocol: llms, auto-gpt, agents, ai; Also covers AI Agents. ### When should I choose moby over agent-protocol? Choose moby over agent-protocol when moby is primarily Go; agent-protocol is Python; License: moby is Apache-2.0, agent-protocol is MIT; Tags unique to moby: go, docker, golang, containers; Also covers Developer Tools; moby ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### When should I avoid agent-protocol? Last GitHub push was 460 days ago (dormant maintenance, Apr 8, 2025). Validate activity before betting a new project on agent-protocol. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. ### When should I avoid moby? LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ### Is agent-protocol or moby more popular on GitHub? moby has more GitHub stars (71,899 vs 1,462). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are agent-protocol and moby open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-protocol: MIT, moby: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to agent-protocol or moby? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agent-protocol alternatives](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol/alternatives) and [moby alternatives](/tools/moby-moby/alternatives) ([agent-protocol markdown twin](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol/alternatives.md), [moby markdown twin](/tools/moby-moby/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/agi-inc-agent-protocol-vs-moby-moby.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, agent-protocol or moby? agent-protocol: Dormant. moby: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for agent-protocol and moby? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agent-protocol trust report](/tools/agi-inc-agent-protocol/trust); [moby trust report](/tools/moby-moby/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=agi-inc-agent-protocol`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=agi-inc-agent-protocol) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_