head to head · open source
conductor vs layer5
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars, 1,051 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. layer5 has 1,149 stars, 1,661 forks, 164 open issues and last shipped yesterday. conductor leads on adoption by 2,720% (32,401 vs 1,149 stars). conductor is written in Java under Apache-2.0; layer5 is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. conductor has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, layer5 145%. 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.
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Side by side
| conductor | layer5 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| 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 layer5 if
- You want the layer5 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and layer5 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…
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About layer5
If you’re using Layer5 products or if you like the project, please ★ this repository to show your support! 🤩 About Layer5 Layer5's cloud native application and infrastructure management software enables you to expect more from your infrastructure. We embrace developer defined infrastructure. We empower developers to change how they write applications, support operators in rethinking how they run modern infrastructure, and enable teams to stop finger pointing and start collaborating. Docs Projects Meshery Meshery is the collaborative cloud native manager that enables the adoption, operation, and management of…
read the full layer5 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is conductor or layer5 more popular?
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars and layer5 has 1,149. conductor has the larger community by that measure.
Are conductor and layer5 free?
Both are open source. conductor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and layer5 under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between conductor and layer5?
conductor is written in Java and layer5 in JavaScript. 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 layer5?
Choose conductor if you want the larger community (32,401 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose layer5 if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.