head to head · open source
ansible vs process-compose
ansible has 70,721 GitHub stars, 24,333 forks, 837 open issues and last shipped yesterday. process-compose has 2,779 stars, 149 forks, 26 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. ansible leads on adoption by 2,445% (70,721 vs 2,779 stars). ansible is written in Python under GPL-3.0; process-compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0. ansible has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, process-compose 5%. 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 | process-compose | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 2.8K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 24K | ⑂ 149 |
| 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 process-compose if
- You want the process-compose 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 process-compose fits your workflow better
About ansible
Ansible is a radically simple, agentless IT automation platform, written in Python and licensed under GPL 3.0, that handles configuration management, application deployment, cloud provisioning, ad hoc task execution, network automation, and multi node orchestration for operators, developers, and network and cloud teams who manage machines over plain SSH.
read the full ansible overview →
About process-compose
Process Compose is an Apache 2.0, Go based scheduler and orchestrator that starts, orders, and supervises non containerized applications from a single YAML file, built for developers and operators who want process control without Docker.
read the full process-compose overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ansible or process-compose more popular?
ansible has 70,721 GitHub stars and process-compose has 2,779. ansible has the larger community by that measure.
Are ansible and process-compose free?
Both are open source. ansible is licensed under GPL-3.0 and process-compose under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ansible and process-compose?
ansible is written in Python and process-compose 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 process-compose?
Choose ansible if you want the larger community (70,721 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose process-compose if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.