Comparison
mlx-serve vs moby
Verdict
Pick mlx-serve when mlx-serve is primarily Zig; moby is Go; pick moby when moby is primarily Go; mlx-serve is Zig.
Markdown twin · mlx-serve alternatives · moby alternatives
GraphCanon updated today
Trust & integrity
| Signal | mlx-serve | moby |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of today · github_public_v1 | Very active (1d since push) As of 3d · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of today · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 3d · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of today · osv@v1 | No published findings from this source as of 2026-07-11 As of 3d · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- mlx-serve
- Native LLM inference server for Apple Silicon. OpenAI + Anthropic API compatible. No Python. Includes MLX Core macOS app with chat, agent mode, and tool calling.
- moby
- The Moby Project - a collaborative project for the container ecosystem to assemble container-based systems
Stars
- mlx-serve
- 283
- moby
- 72k
Forks
- mlx-serve
- 22
- moby
- 19k
Open issues
- mlx-serve
- 3
- moby
- 3.8k
Language
- mlx-serve
- Zig
- moby
- Go
Adopt for
- mlx-serve
- -
- moby
- -
Persona
- mlx-serve
- -
- moby
- -
Runtime
- mlx-serve
- -
- moby
- -
License
- mlx-serve
- MIT
- moby
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- mlx-serve
- Jul 14, 2026
- moby
- Jul 10, 2026
Categories
- mlx-serve
- AI Agents, Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
- moby
- Developer Tools, Inference & Serving, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Days since push
- mlx-serve
- 0d
- moby
- 1d
Open issues (now)
- mlx-serve
- 3
- moby
- 3.8k
Owner type
- mlx-serve
- User
- moby
- Organization
OSV dependency advisories
- mlx-serve
- No lockfile (source not queried)
- moby
- No published findings from this source as of 2026-07-11
Full report
- mlx-serve
- Trust report
- moby
- Trust report
Choose mlx-serve if…
- mlx-serve is primarily Zig; moby is Go.
- License: mlx-serve is MIT, moby is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to mlx-serve: agent, anthropic-api, apple-silicon, claude code.
- Also covers AI Agents.
When NOT to use mlx-serve
- 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.
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
Choose moby if…
- moby is primarily Go; mlx-serve is Zig.
- License: moby is Apache-2.0, mlx-serve is MIT.
- Tags unique to moby: containers, docker, go, golang.
- Also covers Developer Tools.
- moby ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
When NOT to use moby
- Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.
- Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic.
- LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub forks (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Last push (ddalcu/mlx-serve) · observed Jul 14, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (moby/moby) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (moby/moby) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Last push (moby/moby) · observed Jul 10, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: mlx-serve 283 · moby 72k (synced Jul 15, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between mlx-serve and moby?
- mlx-serve: Native LLM inference server for Apple Silicon. OpenAI + Anthropic API compatible. No Python. Includes MLX Core macOS app with chat, agent mode, and tool calling.. 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 mlx-serve over moby?
- Choose mlx-serve over moby when mlx-serve is primarily Zig; moby is Go; License: mlx-serve is MIT, moby is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to mlx-serve: agent, anthropic-api, apple-silicon, claude code; Also covers AI Agents.
- When should I choose moby over mlx-serve?
- Choose moby over mlx-serve when moby is primarily Go; mlx-serve is Zig; License: moby is Apache-2.0, mlx-serve is MIT; Tags unique to moby: containers, docker, go, golang; Also covers Developer Tools; moby ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When should I avoid mlx-serve?
- 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. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- When should I avoid moby?
- Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves.
- Is mlx-serve or moby more popular on GitHub?
- moby has more GitHub stars (71,899 vs 283). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are mlx-serve and moby open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (mlx-serve: MIT, moby: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to mlx-serve or moby?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at mlx-serve alternatives and moby alternatives (mlx-serve markdown twin, moby markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, mlx-serve or moby?
- mlx-serve: Very active. 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 mlx-serve and moby?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: mlx-serve trust report; moby trust report.