head to head · open source
operating-system vs frontend
operating-system has 7,618 GitHub stars, 1,329 forks, 95 open issues and last shipped yesterday. frontend has 5,778 stars, 3,932 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped yesterday. operating-system leads on adoption by 32% (7,618 vs 5,778 stars). operating-system is written in Python under Apache-2.0; frontend is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. operating-system has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, frontend 68%. frontend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (home-assistant), 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
| operating-system | frontend | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.6K | ★ 5.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 3.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick operating-system if
- You weight community size — 7.6K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick frontend if
- You want the frontend feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and frontend fits your workflow better
About operating-system
Home Assistant Operating System Home Assistant Operating System (formerly HassOS) is a Linux based operating system optimized to host Home Assistant and its Apps. Home Assistant Operating System uses Docker as its container engine. By default it deploys the Home Assistant Supervisor as a container. Home Assistant Supervisor in turn uses the Docker container engine to control Home Assistant Core and Apps in separate containers. Home Assistant Operating System is not based on a regular Linux distribution like Ubuntu. It is built using Buildroot and it is optimized to run Home Assistant. It targets single board…
read the full operating-system overview →
About frontend
Home Assistant Frontend This is the repository for the official Home Assistant frontend. View demo of Home Assistant More information about Home Assistant Frontend development instructions Development Initial setup: script/setup Development: Instructions Production build: pnpm build Gallery: cd gallery && script/develop gallery Frontend development Classic environment A complete guide can be found at the following link. It describes a short guide for the build of project. License Home Assistant is open source and Apache 2 licensed. Feel free to browse the repository, learn and reuse parts in your own projects…
read the full frontend overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is operating-system or frontend more popular?
operating-system has 7,618 GitHub stars and frontend has 5,778. operating-system has the larger community by that measure.
Are operating-system and frontend free?
Both are open source. operating-system is licensed under Apache-2.0 and frontend under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between operating-system and frontend?
operating-system is written in Python and frontend in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, operating-system or frontend?
Choose operating-system if you want the larger community (7,618 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose frontend if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.