head to head · open source
compose vs openworkflow
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars, 5,817 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. openworkflow has 1,323 stars, 66 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped yesterday. compose leads on adoption by 2,785% (38,175 vs 1,323 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; openworkflow is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, openworkflow 5%. openworkflow 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 | openworkflow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 38K | ★ 1.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 66 |
| 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 openworkflow if
- You want the openworkflow 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 openworkflow 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 openworkflow
OpenWorkflow is an open source TypeScript framework for building durable, resumable workflows on Node.js and Bun, aimed at developers who need long running background work to survive crashes and deploys without operating extra servers.
read the full openworkflow overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or openworkflow more popular?
compose has 38,175 GitHub stars and openworkflow has 1,323. compose has the larger community by that measure.
Are compose and openworkflow free?
Both are open source. compose is licensed under Apache-2.0 and openworkflow under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between compose and openworkflow?
compose is written in Go and openworkflow 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, compose or openworkflow?
Choose compose if you want the larger community (38,175 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose openworkflow if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.