head to head · open source
typeorm vs Chroma
typeorm has 36,656 GitHub stars, 6,673 forks, 646 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Chroma has 29,333 stars, 2,522 forks, 843 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. typeorm leads on adoption by 25% (36,656 vs 29,333 stars). typeorm is written in TypeScript under MIT; Chroma is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. typeorm has attracted 18% as many forks as stars, Chroma 9%. Chroma was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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
| typeorm | Chroma | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 29K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.7K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick typeorm if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Chroma if
- You want the Chroma 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 Chroma fits your workflow better
About typeorm
TypeORM is an MIT licensed object relational mapper for TypeScript and JavaScript that runs on Node.js, in the browser, and across mobile and desktop platforms, and it is aimed at developers who want to model, query, and migrate SQL and NoSQL databases from one decorator driven codebase.
read the full typeorm overview →
About Chroma
Chroma is an open source vector database designed to store, index, and retrieve embeddings for AI applications. It runs as a local Python or JavaScript client or in client server mode, providing a lightweight infrastructure layer for AI search and retrieval workloads. Built in Rust and licensed under Apache 2.0, it targets developers building RAG, agents, and other embedding dependent systems.
read the full Chroma overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is typeorm or Chroma more popular?
typeorm has 36,656 GitHub stars and Chroma has 29,333. typeorm has the larger community by that measure.
Are typeorm and Chroma free?
Both are open source. typeorm is licensed under MIT and Chroma under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between typeorm and Chroma?
typeorm is written in TypeScript and Chroma 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, typeorm or Chroma?
Choose typeorm if you want the larger community (36,656 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Chroma if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.