head to head · open source
conductor vs bolt
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars, 1,051 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. bolt has 558 stars, 224 forks, 101 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. conductor leads on adoption by 5,707% (32,401 vs 558 stars). conductor is written in Java under Apache-2.0; bolt is written in Ruby under Apache-2.0. conductor has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, bolt 40%. conductor 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| conductor | bolt | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 558 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Ruby |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 224 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick conductor if
- You weight community size — 32K 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 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 conductor
Conductor Durable Execution for Workflows and Agents Build agents that adapt. Run graphs that endure. Conductor is an open source durable execution platform for microservices, AI agents, and adaptive workflow graphs. It turns runtime choices—loops, branching, fan out, tool calls, approvals, retries, and cancellation—into durable, inspectable execution. It originated at Netflix and is actively maintained by Orkes and the community. Get Running in 60 Seconds Prerequisites: Node.js v16+ and Java 21+ must be installed. Open — your server is running with the built in ui next UI. Upgrading from a previous version? The…
read the full conductor 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…
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Orchestration & Scheduling projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Orchestration & Scheduling field.
Frequently asked questions
Is conductor or bolt more popular?
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars and bolt has 558. conductor has the larger community by that measure.
Are conductor and bolt free?
Both are open source. conductor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and bolt under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between conductor and bolt?
conductor is written in Java 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, conductor or bolt?
Choose conductor if you want the larger community (32,401 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.