head to head · open source
nats-server vs dino
nats-server has 20,989 GitHub stars, 2,025 forks, 472 open issues and last shipped yesterday. dino has 2,505 stars, 284 forks, 684 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. nats-server leads on adoption by 738% (20,989 vs 2,505 stars). nats-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0; dino is written in Vala under GPL-3.0. nats-server has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, dino 11%. nats-server 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
| nats-server | dino | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Go | Vala |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 284 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nats-server if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick dino if
- You want the dino feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Vala
- You evaluated both and dino fits your workflow better
About nats-server
NATS is a simple, secure and performant communications system for digital systems, services and devices. NATS is part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). NATS has over 40 client language implementations, and its server can run on premise, in the cloud, at the edge, and even on a Raspberry Pi. NATS can secure and simplify design and operation of modern distributed systems. [![License][License Image]][License Url] [![Build][Build Status Image]][Build Status Url] [![Release][Release Image]][Release Url] [![Slack][Slack Image]][Slack Url] [![Coverage][Coverage Image]][Coverage Url] [![Docker…
read the full nats-server overview →
About dino
Dino Dino is an XMPP messaging app for Linux using GTK and Vala. It supports calls, encryption, file transfers, group chats and more. Installation Have a look at the prebuilt packages. Build Make sure to install all dependencies. meson setup build meson compile C build build/main/dino Resources Check out the Dino website. Join our XMPP channel at chat@dino.im . The wiki provides additional information. Contribute Pull requests are welcome. These might be good first issues. Please discuss bigger changes in our channel first. Look at how to debug Dino before you report a bug. Help translating Dino into your…
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Frequently asked questions
Is nats-server or dino more popular?
nats-server has 20,989 GitHub stars and dino has 2,505. nats-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are nats-server and dino free?
Both are open source. nats-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and dino under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nats-server and dino?
nats-server is written in Go and dino in Vala. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nats-server or dino?
Choose nats-server if you want the larger community (20,989 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose dino if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.