head to head · open source
DBeaver vs acl
DBeaver has 52,273 GitHub stars, 4,442 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. acl has 3,106 stars, 947 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 1,583% (52,273 vs 3,106 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 30%. 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 | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 947 |
| 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 Free multi platform database tool for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators and analysts. Has a lot of features including schema editor, SQL editor, data editor, AI chat, ER diagrams, data export/import/migration, SQL execution plans, database administration tools, database dashboards, Spatial data viewer, proxy and SSH tunnelling, custom database drivers editor, etc. Out of the box supports more than 100 database drivers . Supports any database which has JDBC or ODBC driver (basically almost all existing databases). Integrates AI tools for work with data, SQL and database structure…
read the full DBeaver overview →
About acl
中文 Acl Advanced Cross Platform C/C++ Network Communication Library and Server Framework 0. About Acl Project Acl (Advanced C/C++ Library) is a powerful cross platform network communication library and server programming framework that supports Linux, Windows, Solaris, FreeBSD, macOS, Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS. Numerous applications developed with Acl run on various devices, providing stable and reliable services to hundreds of millions of users. The Acl project includes a rich set of functional modules: network communication, server framework, application protocols, various codecs, and more. It has built in…
More in Infrastructure & Operations
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or acl more popular?
DBeaver has 52,273 GitHub stars and acl has 3,106. 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 (52,273 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.