head to head · open source
Kestra vs Temporal
Kestra has 28,146 GitHub stars, 2,997 forks, 713 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Temporal has 23,133 stars, 1,905 forks, 956 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Kestra leads on adoption by 22% (28,146 vs 23,133 stars). Kestra is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Temporal is written in Go under MIT. Kestra has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, Temporal 8%. Kestra 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
| Kestra | Temporal | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 23K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 1.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Kestra if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Temporal if
- You want the Temporal feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Temporal fits your workflow better
About Kestra
Kestra is an open source, event driven orchestration platform for data, AI, and infrastructure workflows. It operates in the Java based ecosystem and is licensed under Apache 2.0. The project provides a unified interface for both scheduled and real time automation, supporting declarative workflow definitions in YAML while also offering visual and AI assisted authoring.
read the full Kestra overview →
About Temporal
Temporal is a durable execution platform for building resilient applications with workflows. It lives in the infrastructure and operations ecosystem, specifically within orchestration and scheduling. The server executes units of application logic called Workflows and automatically handles intermittent failures by retrying failed operations. Temporal originated as a fork of Uber's Cadence and is developed by Temporal Technologies, a startup formed by the creators of Cadence.
read the full Temporal overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or Temporal more popular?
Kestra has 28,146 GitHub stars and Temporal has 23,133. Kestra has the larger community by that measure.
Are Kestra and Temporal free?
Both are open source. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Temporal under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Kestra and Temporal?
Kestra is written in Java and Temporal in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Kestra or Temporal?
Choose Kestra if you want the larger community (28,146 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Temporal if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.