head to head · open source
compose vs PatrowlManager
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars, 5,899 forks, 111 open issues and last shipped yesterday. PatrowlManager has 639 stars, 111 forks, 257 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. compose leads on adoption by 5,936% (38,573 vs 639 stars). compose is written in Go under Apache-2.0; PatrowlManager is written in HTML under AGPL-3.0. compose has attracted 15% as many forks as stars, PatrowlManager 17%. 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 | PatrowlManager | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 39K | ★ 639 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-03-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.9K | ⑂ 111 |
| 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 PatrowlManager if
- You want the PatrowlManager feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You evaluated both and PatrowlManager 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 PatrowlManager
PatrOwl PatrOwl is a scalable, free and open source solution for orchestrating Security Operations. PatrowlManager is the Front end application for managing the assets, reviewing risks on real time, orchestrating the operations (scans, searches, API calls, ...), aggregating the results, relaying alerts on third parties (ex: Incident Response platform like TheHive, Splunk, ...) and providing the reports and dashboards. Operations are performed by the PatrowlEngines instances. Don't forget to install and deploy them ;) Project pitch desk Try it now! To try PatrOwl, install it by reading the Installation Guide and…
read the full PatrowlManager overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is compose or PatrowlManager more popular?
compose has 38,573 GitHub stars and PatrowlManager has 639. compose has the larger community by that measure.
Are compose and PatrowlManager free?
Both are open source. compose is licensed under Apache-2.0 and PatrowlManager under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between compose and PatrowlManager?
compose is written in Go and PatrowlManager in HTML. 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 PatrowlManager?
Choose compose if you want the larger community (38,573 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose PatrowlManager if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.