head to head · open source
algo vs coredns
algo has 30,388 GitHub stars, 2,366 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped 11 days ago. coredns has 14,330 stars, 2,533 forks, 282 open issues and last shipped today. algo leads on adoption by 112% (30,388 vs 14,330 stars). algo is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; coredns is written in Go under Apache-2.0. algo has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, coredns 18%. coredns was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| algo | coredns | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 14K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-09 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick algo if
- You weight community size — 30K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick coredns if
- You want the coredns feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and coredns fits your workflow better
About algo
Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts from Trail of Bits, written in Python and released under AGPL 3.0, that turns a fresh cloud virtual machine into a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN server, and it is aimed at individuals and small teams who want to run their own VPN instead of trusting a hosted provider.
About coredns
CoreDNS is a CNCF graduated DNS server and forwarder written in Go that resolves queries through a chain of plugins, aimed at platform and infrastructure engineers who run DNS for Kubernetes clusters, service discovery, or authoritative zones and need to extend its behaviour without forking the core.
read the full coredns overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Networking & Connectivity projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Networking & Connectivity field.
Frequently asked questions
Is algo or coredns more popular?
algo has 30,388 GitHub stars and coredns has 14,330. algo has the larger community by that measure.
Are algo and coredns free?
Both are open source. algo is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and coredns under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between algo and coredns?
algo is written in Python and coredns in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, algo or coredns?
Choose algo if you want the larger community (30,388 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose coredns if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.