head to head · open source
cloudstack vs flint
cloudstack has 3,075 GitHub stars, 1,385 forks, 1,048 open issues and last shipped yesterday. flint has 1,709 stars, 106 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. cloudstack leads on adoption by 80% (3,075 vs 1,709 stars). cloudstack is written in Java under Apache-2.0; flint is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. cloudstack has attracted 45% as many forks as stars, flint 6%. cloudstack was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 5 topic tags (cloud, infrastructure, kvm, libvirt), 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
| cloudstack | flint | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.1K | ★ 1.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.4K | ⑂ 106 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick cloudstack if
- You weight community size — 3.1K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick flint if
- You want the flint feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and flint fits your workflow better
About cloudstack
Apache CloudStack is an open source Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing platform, written primarily in Java and released under the Apache 2.0 licence, that deploys and manages large networks of virtual machines for service providers, enterprises, and operators who need a cloud they control.
read the full cloudstack overview →
About flint
Flint is a lightweight, self contained management tool for Linux virtual machines running on KVM and libvirt, built for developers, sysadmins, and home lab operators who want a web UI, a CLI, and an API without editing XML by hand.
read the full flint overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is cloudstack or flint more popular?
cloudstack has 3,075 GitHub stars and flint has 1,709. cloudstack has the larger community by that measure.
Are cloudstack and flint free?
Both are open source. cloudstack is licensed under Apache-2.0 and flint under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between cloudstack and flint?
cloudstack is written in Java and flint in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, cloudstack or flint?
Choose cloudstack if you want the larger community (3,075 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose flint if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.