head to head · open source
fastapi vs shenyu
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars, 10,179 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. shenyu has 8,911 stars, 3,105 forks, 565 open issues and last shipped yesterday. fastapi leads on adoption by 1,073% (104,566 vs 8,911 stars). fastapi is written in Python under MIT; shenyu is written in Java under Apache-2.0. fastapi has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, shenyu 35%. shenyu 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 | shenyu | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 105K | ★ 8.9K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick fastapi if
- You weight community size — 105K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick shenyu if
- You want the shenyu 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 shenyu fits your workflow better
About fastapi
FastAPI framework, high performance, easy to learn, fast to code, ready for production Documentation : Source Code : FastAPI is a modern, fast (high performance), web framework for building APIs with Python based on standard Python type hints. The key features are: Fast : Very high performance, on par with NodeJS and Go (thanks to Starlette and Pydantic). One of the fastest Python frameworks available. Fast to code : Increase the speed to develop features by about 200% to 300%. Fewer bugs : Reduce about 40% of human (developer) induced errors. Intuitive : Great editor support. Completion everywhere. Less time…
read the full fastapi overview →
About shenyu
Scalable, High Performance, Responsive API Gateway Solution for all MicroServices Architecture Why named Apache ShenYu ShenYu (神禹) is the honorific name of Chinese ancient monarch Xia Yu (also known in later times as Da Yu), who left behind the touching story of the three times he crossed the Yellow River for the benefit of the people and successfully managed the flooding of the river. He is known as one of the three greatest kings of ancient China, along with Yao and Shun. Firstly, the name ShenYu is to promote the traditional virtues of our Chinese civilisation. Secondly, the most important thing about the…
read the full shenyu overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is fastapi or shenyu more popular?
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars and shenyu has 8,911. fastapi has the larger community by that measure.
Are fastapi and shenyu free?
Both are open source. fastapi is licensed under MIT and shenyu under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between fastapi and shenyu?
fastapi is written in Python and shenyu 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 shenyu?
Choose fastapi if you want the larger community (104,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose shenyu if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.