head to head · open source
kubernetes vs Cozystack
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars, 45,747 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Cozystack has 2,381 stars, 216 forks, 757 open issues and last shipped today. kubernetes leads on adoption by 5,303% (128,645 vs 2,381 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Cozystack is written in Go under Apache-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 36% as many forks as stars, Cozystack 9%. Cozystack was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (kubernetes), 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
| kubernetes | Cozystack | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 129K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 46K | ⑂ 216 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 129K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Cozystack if
- You want the Cozystack feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Cozystack fits your workflow better
About kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open source system for managing [containerized applications] across multiple hosts. It provides basic mechanisms for the deployment, maintenance, and scaling of applications. Kubernetes builds upon a decade and a half of experience at Google running production workloads at scale using a system called [Borg], combined with best of breed ideas and practices from the community. Kubernetes is hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation ([CNCF]). If your company wants to help shape the evolution of technologies that are container packaged, dynamically…
read the full kubernetes overview →
About Cozystack
Cozystack Cozystack is a free platform and framework for building clouds. Cozystack is a CNCF Sandbox Level Project that was originally built and sponsored by Ænix. With Cozystack, you can transform a bunch of servers into an intelligent system with a simple REST API for spawning Kubernetes clusters, Database as a Service, virtual machines, load balancers, HTTP caching services, and other services with ease. Use Cozystack to build your own cloud or provide a cost effective development environment. Use Cases Using Cozystack to build a public cloud You can use Cozystack as a backend for a public cloud Using…
read the full Cozystack overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or Cozystack more popular?
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars and Cozystack has 2,381. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and Cozystack free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Cozystack under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and Cozystack?
kubernetes is written in Go and Cozystack 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, kubernetes or Cozystack?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (128,645 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Cozystack if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.