head to head · open source
headlamp vs robusta
headlamp has 7,556 GitHub stars, 1,204 forks, 1,422 open issues and last shipped yesterday. robusta has 3,130 stars, 329 forks, 204 open issues and last shipped yesterday. headlamp leads on adoption by 141% (7,556 vs 3,130 stars). headlamp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; robusta is written in Python under MIT. headlamp has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, robusta 11%. headlamp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 5 topic tags (dashboard, devops, kubernetes, kubernetes-dashboard), 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
| headlamp | robusta | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 7.6K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 329 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick headlamp if
- You weight community size — 7.6K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick robusta if
- You want the robusta feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and robusta fits your workflow better
About headlamp
NOTICE: We have recently moved the project under the Kubernetes SIG UI (and the repo under the kubernetes sigs org). Container images are still at ghcr.io. Please bear with us while we may experience some broken links. Headlamp is an easy to use and extensible Kubernetes web UI. Headlamp was created to blend the traditional feature set of other web UIs/dashboards (i.e., to list and view resources) with added functionality. Features Vendor independent / generic Kubernetes UI Works in cluster, or locally as a desktop app Multi cluster Extensible through plugins UI controls reflecting user roles (no deletion/update…
read the full headlamp overview →
About robusta
Robusta Classic Prometheus Alert Enrichment for Kubernetes Note: This repository contains Robusta Classic — the rule based alert enrichment engine. For AI powered root cause analysis, see HolmesGPT. Both can be installed together as part of the Robusta platform. What Can Robusta Do? How it Works Installation Integrations ↗ Docs ↗ Slack Community ↗ Compatible with kube prometheus stack, Prometheus Operator, and more. Robusta integrates with Prometheus by webhook and adds features like: Smart Grouping reduce notification spam with Slack threads 🧵 AI Investigation Kickstart alert investigation with AI (optional)…
read the full robusta overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is headlamp or robusta more popular?
headlamp has 7,556 GitHub stars and robusta has 3,130. headlamp has the larger community by that measure.
Are headlamp and robusta free?
Both are open source. headlamp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and robusta under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between headlamp and robusta?
headlamp is written in TypeScript and robusta in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, headlamp or robusta?
Choose headlamp if you want the larger community (7,556 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose robusta if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.