head to head · open source
Element vs ejbca-ce
Element has 13,481 GitHub stars, 2,758 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped today. ejbca-ce has 952 stars, 160 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 1,316% (13,481 vs 952 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; ejbca-ce is written in Java under LGPL-2.1. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, ejbca-ce 17%. Element 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.
← all 15422 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Element | ejbca-ce | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 952 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 160 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Element if
- You weight community size — 13K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ejbca-ce if
- You want the ejbca-ce feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and ejbca-ce fits your workflow better
About Element
Element is a Matrix collaboration client for the web and desktop, and its tagline describes it as secure, decentralized messaging for teams and individuals. It is built with the Matrix JS SDK and lives in the Matrix ecosystem as an open alternative to Slack and Google Meet.
read the full Element overview →
About ejbca-ce
EJBCA Community Edition is an LGPL licensed, Java based public key infrastructure and certificate authority package for anyone who wants to learn, test, or prototype certificate and PKI workflows without committing to a commercial PKI product.
read the full ejbca-ce overview →
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Data Security & Privacy projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Data Security & Privacy field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Element or ejbca-ce more popular?
Element has 13,481 GitHub stars and ejbca-ce has 952. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and ejbca-ce free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ejbca-ce under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and ejbca-ce?
Element is written in TypeScript and ejbca-ce in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Element or ejbca-ce?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,481 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ejbca-ce if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.