head to head · open source
ansible vs flowable-engine
ansible has 71,204 GitHub stars, 24,474 forks, 837 open issues and last shipped yesterday. flowable-engine has 9,633 stars, 2,902 forks, 411 open issues and last shipped 16 days ago. ansible leads on adoption by 639% (71,204 vs 9,633 stars). ansible is written in Python under GPL-3.0; flowable-engine is written in Java under Apache-2.0. ansible has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, flowable-engine 30%. 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 | flowable-engine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 9.6K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 24K | ⑂ 2.9K |
| 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 flowable-engine if
- You want the flowable-engine feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and flowable-engine 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 flowable-engine
Flowable ======== Homepage: flowable / flowəb(ə)l / a compact and highly efficient workflow and Business Process Management (BPM) platform for developers, system admins and business users. a lightning fast, tried and tested BPMN process engine, CMMN case engine and DMN rule engine written in Java. It is Apache 2.0 licensed open source, with a committed community. can run embedded in a Java application, or as a service on a server, a cluster, and in the cloud. It integrates perfectly with Spring. With a rich Java and REST API, it is the ideal engine for orchestrating human or system activities. Introduction…
read the full flowable-engine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ansible or flowable-engine more popular?
ansible has 71,204 GitHub stars and flowable-engine has 9,633. ansible has the larger community by that measure.
Are ansible and flowable-engine free?
Both are open source. ansible is licensed under GPL-3.0 and flowable-engine under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ansible and flowable-engine?
ansible is written in Python and flowable-engine in Java. 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 flowable-engine?
Choose ansible if you want the larger community (71,204 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose flowable-engine if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.