head to head · open source
ansible vs Pulumi
ansible has 71,235 GitHub stars, 24,444 forks, 837 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Pulumi has 25,844 stars, 1,480 forks, 2,419 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ansible leads on adoption by 176% (71,235 vs 25,844 stars). ansible is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Pulumi is written in Go under Apache-2.0. ansible has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, Pulumi 6%. 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 | Pulumi | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 26K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 24K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| 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 Pulumi if
- You want the Pulumi 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 Pulumi 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 Pulumi
Infrastructure as Code for Humans and Agents Pulumi Infrastructure as Code is the easiest way to build and deploy infrastructure, of any architecture and on any cloud, using programming languages that you already know and love. Code and ship infrastructure faster with your favorite languages and tools, and embed IaC anywhere with Automation API. Simply write code in your favorite language and Pulumi automatically provisions and manages your resources on AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, and 300+ providers using an infrastructure as code approach. Skip the YAML, and use standard language features…
read the full Pulumi overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ansible or Pulumi more popular?
ansible has 71,235 GitHub stars and Pulumi has 25,844. ansible has the larger community by that measure.
Are ansible and Pulumi free?
Both are open source. ansible is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pulumi under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ansible and Pulumi?
ansible is written in Python and Pulumi 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 Pulumi?
Choose ansible if you want the larger community (71,235 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Pulumi if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.