head to head · open source
Pumpkin vs azerothcore-wotlk
Pumpkin has 11,292 GitHub stars, 813 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped yesterday. azerothcore-wotlk has 8,936 stars, 3,802 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped today. Pumpkin leads on adoption by 26% (11,292 vs 8,936 stars). Pumpkin is written in Rust under GPL-3.0; azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0. Pumpkin has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, azerothcore-wotlk 43%. azerothcore-wotlk was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (game-server), 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
| Pumpkin | azerothcore-wotlk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 11K | ★ 8.9K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Rust | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 813 | ⑂ 3.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Pumpkin if
- You weight community size — 11K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick azerothcore-wotlk if
- You want the azerothcore-wotlk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and azerothcore-wotlk fits your workflow better
About Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a Minecraft server implementation written entirely in Rust that aims to let anyone host fast and efficient Java and Bedrock Edition servers, and it is built for server operators and plugin developers who want vanilla compatible gameplay without the official Java server.
read the full Pumpkin overview →
About azerothcore-wotlk
AzerothCore (azerothcore wotlk) is an open source, modular C++ game server and framework that recreates the World of Warcraft patch 3.3.5a experience, built for people who want to run and extend their own MMORPG server rather than pay for one.
read the full azerothcore-wotlk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pumpkin or azerothcore-wotlk more popular?
Pumpkin has 11,292 GitHub stars and azerothcore-wotlk has 8,936. Pumpkin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Pumpkin and azerothcore-wotlk free?
Both are open source. Pumpkin is licensed under GPL-3.0 and azerothcore-wotlk under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Pumpkin and azerothcore-wotlk?
Pumpkin is written in Rust and azerothcore-wotlk in C++. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Pumpkin or azerothcore-wotlk?
Choose Pumpkin if you want the larger community (11,292 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose azerothcore-wotlk if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.