head to head · open source
DBeaver vs acl
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. acl has 3,105 stars, 951 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 1,568% (51,797 vs 3,105 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; acl is written in C under LGPL-2.1. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, acl 31%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), 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
| DBeaver | acl | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | Java | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 951 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick DBeaver if
- You weight community size — 52K 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 acl if
- You want the acl feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and acl fits your workflow better
About DBeaver
DBeaver is a free, multi platform database management tool built in Java, designed for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators, and analysts. It operates across Windows, macOS, and Linux and integrates with the Eclipse based plugin ecosystem via OSGi and Eclipse RCP frameworks.
read the full DBeaver overview →
About acl
Acl (Advanced C/C++ Library, "Advanced Cross Platform C/C++ Network Communication Library and Server Framework") is a cross platform C network communication library and server framework, with coroutine, HTTP/HTTPS/WebSocket, MQTT, SMTP, Redis, Memcached and MySQL/PostgreSQL/SQLite support, built for developers writing network servers and clients on Linux, Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD, macOS, Android, iOS and HarmonyOS.
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or acl more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and acl has 3,105. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and acl free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and acl under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and acl?
DBeaver is written in Java and acl in C. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, DBeaver or acl?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose acl if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.