head to head · open source
fastapi vs kubernetes-client
fastapi has 102,402 GitHub stars, 9,903 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. kubernetes-client has 3,677 stars, 1,519 forks, 115 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. fastapi leads on adoption by 2,685% (102,402 vs 3,677 stars). fastapi is written in Python under MIT; kubernetes-client is written in Java under Apache-2.0. fastapi has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, kubernetes-client 41%. kubernetes-client 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
| fastapi | kubernetes-client | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 102K | ★ 3.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.9K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick fastapi if
- You weight community size — 102K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick kubernetes-client if
- You want the kubernetes-client feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and kubernetes-client fits your workflow better
About fastapi
FastAPI is an MIT licensed, high performance Python web framework for building APIs with standard Python type hints, aimed at Python developers and teams that need production ready HTTP services with automatic OpenAPI documentation.
read the full fastapi overview →
About kubernetes-client
Kubernetes & OpenShift Java Client is a Java library that provides access to the full Kubernetes and OpenShift REST APIs through a fluent domain specific language. It lives in the Kubernetes and OpenShift ecosystem, and it is distributed as Java artifacts for JVM based applications, services, and tooling.
read the full kubernetes-client overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is fastapi or kubernetes-client more popular?
fastapi has 102,402 GitHub stars and kubernetes-client has 3,677. fastapi has the larger community by that measure.
Are fastapi and kubernetes-client free?
Both are open source. fastapi is licensed under MIT and kubernetes-client under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between fastapi and kubernetes-client?
fastapi is written in Python and kubernetes-client 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, fastapi or kubernetes-client?
Choose fastapi if you want the larger community (102,402 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose kubernetes-client if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.