head to head · open source
kubernetes vs headlamp
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars, 44,692 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped today. headlamp has 7,310 stars, 1,112 forks, 1,422 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. kubernetes leads on adoption by 1,649% (127,843 vs 7,310 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; headlamp is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 35% as many forks as stars, headlamp 15%. kubernetes 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 | headlamp | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 128K | ★ 7.3K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 45K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 128K 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 headlamp if
- You want the headlamp 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 headlamp fits your workflow better
About kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed system for managing containerized applications across multiple hosts, hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and aimed at teams who deploy, maintain and scale container packaged and microservices oriented workloads in production.
read the full kubernetes overview →
About headlamp
Headlamp is an Apache 2.0 licensed, vendor independent Kubernetes web UI written in TypeScript that runs either inside a cluster or locally as a desktop application, and it is built for platform engineers, cluster operators, and developers who need to inspect and change Kubernetes resources through a graphical interface.
read the full headlamp overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or headlamp more popular?
kubernetes has 127,843 GitHub stars and headlamp has 7,310. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and headlamp free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and headlamp under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and headlamp?
kubernetes is written in Go and headlamp 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, kubernetes or headlamp?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (127,843 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose headlamp if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.