head to head · open source
DBeaver vs aleph
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars, 4,371 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. aleph has 2,432 stars, 362 forks, 371 open issues and last shipped 7 months ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 2,030% (51,791 vs 2,432 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; aleph is written in JavaScript under MIT. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, aleph 15%. DBeaver 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
| DBeaver | aleph | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-02-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 362 |
| 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 aleph if
- You want the aleph feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and aleph 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 aleph
Aleph is an MIT licensed open source search and browsing tool for large collections of documents and structured data. It indexes PDF, Word, HTML, CSV, XLS, and SQL inputs so users can search mixed evidence sources in one tool. The project lives in the open source data search, graph database, investigative journalism, and OSINT ecosystem, and it is built with investigative reporting as a primary use case.
read the full aleph overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or aleph more popular?
DBeaver has 51,791 GitHub stars and aleph has 2,432. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and aleph free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and aleph under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and aleph?
DBeaver is written in Java and aleph 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, DBeaver or aleph?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,791 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose aleph if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.