head to head · open source
ansible vs dapr
ansible has 71,080 GitHub stars, 24,314 forks, 837 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. dapr has 26,154 stars, 2,170 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. ansible leads on adoption by 172% (71,080 vs 26,154 stars). ansible is written in Python under GPL-3.0; dapr is written in Go under Apache-2.0. ansible has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, dapr 8%. ansible 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.
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Side by side
| ansible | dapr | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 26K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-10-23 | 2026-10-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 24K | ⑂ 2.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick ansible if
- You weight community size — 71K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick dapr if
- You want the dapr 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 dapr fits your workflow better
About ansible
[ ][copying] Ansible Ansible is a radically simple IT automation system. It handles configuration management, application deployment, cloud provisioning, ad hoc task execution, network automation, and multi node orchestration. Ansible makes complex changes like zero downtime rolling updates with load balancers easy. More information on the Ansible website. Design Principles Have an extremely simple setup process with a minimal learning curve. Manage machines quickly and in parallel. Avoid custom agents and additional open ports, be agentless by leveraging the existing SSH daemon. Describe infrastructure in a…
read the full ansible overview →
About dapr
The runtime for durable execution, AI agents, and secure distributed applications [![Go Report][go report badge]][go report url] [![OpenSSF][openssf badge]][openssf url] [![Docker Pulls][docker badge]][docker url] [![Build Status][actions badge]][actions url] [![Test Status][e2e badge]][e2e url] [![Code Coverage][codecov badge]][codecov url] [![License: Apache 2.0][apache badge]][apache url] [![FOSSA Status][fossa badge]][fossa url] [![TODOs][todo badge]][todo url] [![Good First Issues][gfi badge]][gfi url] [![discord][discord badge]][discord url] [![YouTube][youtube badge]][youtube link] [![Bluesky][bluesky…
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Frequently asked questions
Is ansible or dapr more popular?
ansible has 71,080 GitHub stars and dapr has 26,154. ansible has the larger community by that measure.
Are ansible and dapr free?
Both are open source. ansible is licensed under GPL-3.0 and dapr under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ansible and dapr?
ansible is written in Python and dapr 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, ansible or dapr?
Choose ansible if you want the larger community (71,080 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose dapr if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.