head to head · open source
compose vs bolt
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars, 5,899 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. bolt has 558 stars, 224 forks, 101 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. compose leads on adoption by 6,813% (38,573 vs 558 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; bolt is written in Ruby under Apache-2.0. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, bolt 40%. compose was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (orchestration), 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
| compose | bolt | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 558 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.9K | ⑂ 224 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick compose if
- You weight community size — 39K 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 bolt if
- You want the bolt feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Ruby
- You evaluated both and bolt fits your workflow better
About compose
Table of Contents Docker Compose Where to get Docker Compose + Windows and macOS + Linux Quick Start Contributing Legacy Docker Compose Docker Compose is a tool for running multi container applications on Docker defined using the Compose file format. A Compose file is used to define how one or more containers that make up your application are configured. Once you have a Compose file, you can create and start your application with a single command: docker compose up . Note : About Docker Swarm Docker Swarm used to rely on the legacy compose file format but did not adopt the compose specification so is missing…
read the full compose overview →
About bolt
Bolt is an open source orchestration tool that automates the manual work it takes to maintain your infrastructure. Use Bolt to automate tasks that you perform on an as needed basis or as part of a greater orchestration workflow. For example, you can use Bolt to patch and update systems, troubleshoot servers, deploy applications, or stop and restart services. Bolt can be installed on your local workstation and connects directly to remote targets with SSH or WinRM, so you are not required to install any agent software. Bring order to the chaos with orchestration Run simple plans to rid yourself of the headaches of…
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or bolt more popular?
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars and bolt has 558. compose has the larger community by that measure.
Are compose and bolt free?
Both are open source. compose is licensed under Apache-2.0 and bolt under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between compose and bolt?
compose is written in Go and bolt in Ruby. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, compose or bolt?
Choose compose if you want the larger community (38,573 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose bolt if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.