head to head · open source
nats-server vs AutoMQ
nats-server has 20,989 GitHub stars, 2,025 forks, 472 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AutoMQ has 10,920 stars, 800 forks, 60 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nats-server leads on adoption by 92% (20,989 vs 10,920 stars). nats-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0; AutoMQ is written in Java under Apache-2.0. nats-server has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, AutoMQ 7%. AutoMQ 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
| nats-server | AutoMQ | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 11K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 800 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nats-server if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AutoMQ if
- You want the AutoMQ feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and AutoMQ fits your workflow better
About nats-server
NATS is a simple, secure and performant communications system for digital systems, services and devices. NATS is part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). NATS has over 40 client language implementations, and its server can run on premise, in the cloud, at the edge, and even on a Raspberry Pi. NATS can secure and simplify design and operation of modern distributed systems. [![License][License Image]][License Url] [![Build][Build Status Image]][Build Status Url] [![Release][Release Image]][Release Url] [![Slack][Slack Image]][Slack Url] [![Coverage][Coverage Image]][Coverage Url] [![Docker…
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About AutoMQ
Diskless Kafka® on S3, Offering 10x Cost Savings and Scaling in Seconds. 📑  Documentation     🔥  Explore AutoMQ Playground Now     yellow) orange) From 6 Hours to Seconds: How Grab Achieved 3x Data Streaming Efficiency with AutoMQ Tencent Cloud EMR uses AutoMQ as a first party service 2.2B Messages a Day: LG U+ Modernizes Log Pipelines with AutoMQ on AWS Geely: Powering Hybrid Cloud Streaming for a 10 Million Vehicle Fleet Bambu Lab: Unifying Multi Cloud Data Streaming with Stateless Kafka Honda: Slashing Kafka TCO by 50% with Cloud Native Diskless Architecture Avia Games…
read the full AutoMQ overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nats-server or AutoMQ more popular?
nats-server has 20,989 GitHub stars and AutoMQ has 10,920. nats-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are nats-server and AutoMQ free?
Both are open source. nats-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and AutoMQ under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nats-server and AutoMQ?
nats-server is written in Go and AutoMQ in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nats-server or AutoMQ?
Choose nats-server if you want the larger community (20,989 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose AutoMQ if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.