head to head · open source
ansible vs Temporal
ansible has 70,719 GitHub stars, 24,336 forks, 837 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Temporal has 23,144 stars, 1,909 forks, 956 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ansible leads on adoption by 206% (70,719 vs 23,144 stars). ansible is written in Python under GPL-3.0; Temporal is written in Go under MIT. ansible has attracted 34% as many forks as stars, Temporal 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 | Temporal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 71K | ★ 23K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 24K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| 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 Temporal if
- You want the Temporal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Temporal 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 Temporal
Temporal is a durable execution platform for building resilient applications with workflows. It lives in the infrastructure and operations ecosystem, specifically within orchestration and scheduling. The server executes units of application logic called Workflows and automatically handles intermittent failures by retrying failed operations. Temporal originated as a fork of Uber's Cadence and is developed by Temporal Technologies, a startup formed by the creators of Cadence.
read the full Temporal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is ansible or Temporal more popular?
ansible has 70,719 GitHub stars and Temporal has 23,144. ansible has the larger community by that measure.
Are ansible and Temporal free?
Both are open source. ansible is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Temporal under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between ansible and Temporal?
ansible is written in Python and Temporal 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 Temporal?
Choose ansible if you want the larger community (70,719 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Temporal if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.