head to head · open source
Insomnia vs shenyu
Insomnia has 40,111 GitHub stars, 2,388 forks, 874 open issues and last shipped yesterday. shenyu has 8,911 stars, 3,105 forks, 565 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Insomnia leads on adoption by 350% (40,111 vs 8,911 stars). Insomnia is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; shenyu is written in Java under Apache-2.0. Insomnia has attracted 6% 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
| Insomnia | shenyu | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 8.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 3.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Insomnia if
- You weight community size — 40K 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 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 Insomnia
Insomnia API Client Insomnia is an open source, cross platform API client for GraphQL, REST, WebSockets, Server Sent Events (SSE), gRPC and any other HTTP compatible protocol. With Insomnia you can: Debug APIs using the most popular protocols and formats. Design APIs using the native OpenAPI editor and visual preview. Test APIs using native test suites and collection runner. Mock APIs using a cloud or self hosted mocking server. Build CI/CD pipelines using the native Insomnia CLI for linting and testing. Collaborate with others using the many collaboration features. And more including the ability to use 3rd…
read the full Insomnia 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 Insomnia or shenyu more popular?
Insomnia has 40,111 GitHub stars and shenyu has 8,911. Insomnia has the larger community by that measure.
Are Insomnia and shenyu free?
Both are open source. Insomnia is licensed under Apache-2.0 and shenyu under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Insomnia and shenyu?
Insomnia is written in TypeScript 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, Insomnia or shenyu?
Choose Insomnia if you want the larger community (40,111 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose shenyu if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.