head to head · open source
compose vs Kestra
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars, 5,817 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Kestra has 28,146 stars, 2,997 forks, 713 open issues and last shipped yesterday. compose leads on adoption by 36% (38,175 vs 28,146 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Kestra is written in Java under Apache-2.0. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, Kestra 11%. Kestra 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
| compose | Kestra | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 28K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick compose if
- You weight community size — 38K 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 Kestra if
- You want the Kestra feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and Kestra fits your workflow better
About compose
Docker Compose is an Apache 2.0 licensed Go tool that defines and runs multi container applications on Docker from a single Compose file, aimed at developers and operators who need several containers to start together as one isolated application.
read the full compose overview →
About Kestra
Kestra is an open source, event driven orchestration platform for data, AI, and infrastructure workflows. It operates in the Java based ecosystem and is licensed under Apache 2.0. The project provides a unified interface for both scheduled and real time automation, supporting declarative workflow definitions in YAML while also offering visual and AI assisted authoring.
read the full Kestra overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or Kestra more popular?
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars and Kestra has 28,146. compose has the larger community by that measure.
Are compose and Kestra free?
Both are open source. compose is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Kestra under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between compose and Kestra?
compose is written in Go and Kestra in Java. 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 Kestra?
Choose compose if you want the larger community (38,175 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Kestra if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.