AWS Core vs defang
AWS Core is an MCP server published by awslabs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). defang is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by DefangLabs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-16. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  AWS Core |  defang |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:f624682618e2 Forks (GitHub): 1 808 Pulls (Docker Hub): 128 989 Stars (Docker Hub): 3 Stars (GitHub): 9 782 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 24 Stars (GitHub): 167 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | AWS Core | defang |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 9 782 (better) | 167 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 128 989 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 1 808 (better) | 24 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/aws-core-mcp-server) | Installs as a plugin bundle |
| Transport (differs) | stdio | Not stated |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 1 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | Not a bundle | 2 |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/awslabs/mcp | github.com/defanglabs/defang |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 0 | 2 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
AWS Core
Starting point for using the awslabs MCP servers.
defang
Deploy any Docker Compose app to your own cloud account on AWS or GCP in minutes. The `/defang:deploy` skill guides you through the full workflow. Your code and secrets never leave your infrastructure.
How to run each
AWS Core As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio aws-core-mcp-server -- docker run -i --rm mcp/aws-core-mcp-serverdefang As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install defang@claude-communityCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of defang publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: AWS Core · What it can do: defang · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.