head to head · open source
etcd vs sh
etcd has 52,270 GitHub stars, 10,506 forks, 351 open issues and last shipped yesterday. sh has 3,151 stars, 1,013 forks, 80 open issues and last shipped yesterday. etcd leads on adoption by 1,559% (52,270 vs 3,151 stars). etcd is written in Go under Apache-2.0; sh is written in Shell under Apache-2.0. etcd has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, sh 32%. sh 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
| etcd | sh | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 3.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 1.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick etcd if
- You weight community size — 52K 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 sh if
- You want the sh feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and sh fits your workflow better
About etcd
etcd is an Apache 2.0 licensed, Go written distributed key value store that holds the most critical data of a distributed system in a Raft replicated log, aimed at the platform and infrastructure engineers who must keep that control plane data consistent and available.
About sh
kejilion.sh is an all in one Linux management script — a root level Shell toolbox for VPS owners, self hosters and administrators that gathers system monitoring, Docker management, LDNMP site deployment, backups and site protection into one interactive tool.
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Frequently asked questions
Is etcd or sh more popular?
etcd has 52,270 GitHub stars and sh has 3,151. etcd has the larger community by that measure.
Are etcd and sh free?
Both are open source. etcd is licensed under Apache-2.0 and sh under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etcd and sh?
etcd is written in Go and sh in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, etcd or sh?
Choose etcd if you want the larger community (52,270 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose sh if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.