head to head · open source
Appwrite vs retire.js
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars, 5,830 forks, 1,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. retire.js has 4,199 stars, 441 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Appwrite leads on adoption by 1,278% (57,854 vs 4,199 stars). Appwrite is written in TypeScript under BSD-3-Clause; retire.js is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. Appwrite has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, retire.js 11%. Appwrite was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (javascript), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| Appwrite | retire.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 58K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 441 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Appwrite if
- You weight community size — 58K stars and counting
- You want the BSD-3-Clause license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick retire.js if
- You want the retire.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and retire.js fits your workflow better
About Appwrite
Appwrite Appwrite is an open source, all in one development platform. Use built in backend infrastructure and web hosting, all from a single place. English 简体中文 Appwrite is an open source development platform for building web, mobile, and AI applications. It brings together backend infrastructure and web hosting in one place, so teams can build, ship, and scale without stitching together a fragmented stack. Appwrite is available as a managed cloud platform and can also be self hosted on infrastructure you control. With Appwrite, you can add authentication, databases, storage, functions, messaging, realtime…
read the full Appwrite overview →
About retire.js
Retire.js What you require you must also retire There is a vast ecosystem of JavaScript libraries available for both web and Node.js applications. While these libraries significantly accelerate development, they also require ongoing maintenance to ensure security vulnerabilities are addressed promptly. In 2013, “Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities” was added to the OWASP Top 10 list of critical security risks, highlighting the serious threat that outdated or insecure dependencies can pose to web applications. Retire.js was created to help developers identify JavaScript library versions with known…
read the full retire.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Appwrite or retire.js more popular?
Appwrite has 57,854 GitHub stars and retire.js has 4,199. Appwrite has the larger community by that measure.
Are Appwrite and retire.js free?
Both are open source. Appwrite is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and retire.js under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Appwrite and retire.js?
Appwrite is written in TypeScript and retire.js in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Appwrite or retire.js?
Choose Appwrite if you want the larger community (57,854 stars) or its BSD-3-Clause licence terms. Choose retire.js if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.