head to head · open source
etcd vs usql
etcd has 52,441 GitHub stars, 10,552 forks, 351 open issues and last shipped yesterday. usql has 10,161 stars, 409 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped yesterday. etcd leads on adoption by 416% (52,441 vs 10,161 stars). etcd is written in Go under Apache-2.0; usql is written in Go under MIT. etcd has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, usql 4%. etcd was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (database, go), 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
| etcd | usql | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 10K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 409 |
| 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 usql if
- You want the usql feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and usql fits your workflow better
About etcd
etcd Note : The main branch may be in an unstable or even broken state during development. For stable versions, see [releases][github release]. etcd is a distributed reliable key value store for the most critical data of a distributed system, with a focus on being: Simple : well defined, user facing API (gRPC) Secure : automatic TLS with optional client cert authentication Fast : benchmarked 10,000 writes/sec Reliable : properly distributed using Raft etcd is written in Go and uses the [Raft][] consensus algorithm to manage a highly available replicated log. etcd is used in production by many companies, and the…
About usql
Installing Building Database Support Using Features and Compatibility Releases Contributing usql is a universal command line interface for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle Database, SQLite3, Microsoft SQL Server, [and many other databases][databases] including NoSQL and non relational databases! usql works with [SQL and NoSQL databases][databases] from a command line modelled on PostgreSQL's psql . usql supports most of the core psql features, such as [variables][variables], [backticks][backticks], [backslash commands][commands] and has additional features that psql does not, such as [multiple database…
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Frequently asked questions
Is etcd or usql more popular?
etcd has 52,441 GitHub stars and usql has 10,161. etcd has the larger community by that measure.
Are etcd and usql free?
Both are open source. etcd is licensed under Apache-2.0 and usql under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between etcd and usql?
etcd is written in Go and usql in Go. 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 usql?
Choose etcd if you want the larger community (52,441 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose usql if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.