head to head · open source
Cinny vs certstrap
Cinny has 3,897 GitHub stars, 578 forks, 354 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. certstrap has 2,454 stars, 212 forks, 32 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. Cinny leads on adoption by 59% (3,897 vs 2,454 stars). Cinny is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; certstrap is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Cinny has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, certstrap 9%. Cinny 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
| Cinny | certstrap | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-02-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 578 | ⑂ 212 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Cinny if
- You weight community size — 3.9K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick certstrap if
- You want the certstrap feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and certstrap fits your workflow better
About Cinny
Cinny is an open source Matrix client written in TypeScript under AGPL 3.0. It lives in the Matrix ecosystem and is presented as "yet another matrix client," focusing on a simple, elegant, and secure interface. Its stated goal is an instant messaging application that is easy for people and has a modern touch.
read the full Cinny overview →
About certstrap
certstrap is a simple certificate manager written in Go that bootstraps a private certificate authority and public key infrastructure, aimed at operators and developers who need to issue TLS certificates without wrestling with openssl.
read the full certstrap overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cinny or certstrap more popular?
Cinny has 3,897 GitHub stars and certstrap has 2,454. Cinny has the larger community by that measure.
Are Cinny and certstrap free?
Both are open source. Cinny is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and certstrap under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Cinny and certstrap?
Cinny is written in TypeScript and certstrap 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, Cinny or certstrap?
Choose Cinny if you want the larger community (3,897 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose certstrap if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.