head to head · open source
archify vs herdr
archify has 93,183 GitHub stars, 6,349 forks, 134 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. herdr has 47,915 stars, 3,844 forks, 337 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. archify leads on adoption by 94% (93,183 vs 47,915 stars). archify is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; herdr is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. archify has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, herdr 8%. archify was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 5 topic tags (ai-agents, claude-code, codex, coding-agents), 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
| archify | herdr | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 93K | ★ 48K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.3K | ⑂ 3.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick archify if
- You weight community size — 93K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick herdr if
- You want the herdr feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and herdr fits your workflow better
About archify
English · 简体中文 Archify Turn a codebase or system description into a polished, interactive system map — directly in chat. Archify is a Node.js rendering and validation system for Cursor, Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode. Agents produce typed JSON IR; Archify deterministically compiles it into HTML/SVG. Open it and present — five diagram types, four presets, dark/light themes, built in brand marks, and finite motion Review architecture changes before merge — compare two validated snapshots as Before / Delta / After, with exact added, removed, changed, moved, and rerouted facts Every interaction stays grounded…
read the full archify overview →
About herdr
herdr herdr.dev · install · quick start · docs English · 简体中文 the runtime your coding agents live on. detach without stopping work — herdr keeps terminals running in a background server when you close the client or lose your SSH connection. after a server or machine restart, herdr restores the saved layout and can resume supported agent sessions; the original processes do not survive. session state → several machines, one window — keep local work and saved ssh machines together, with a combined agent list and independent reconnects. remote machines → never hunt for the stuck one — every pane is marked working…
read the full herdr overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is archify or herdr more popular?
archify has 93,183 GitHub stars and herdr has 47,915. archify has the larger community by that measure.
Are archify and herdr free?
Both are open source. archify is licensed under Apache-2.0 and herdr under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between archify and herdr?
archify is written in JavaScript and herdr in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, archify or herdr?
Choose archify if you want the larger community (93,183 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose herdr if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.