head to head · open source
kubernetes vs kics
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars, 45,747 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. kics has 2,731 stars, 385 forks, 312 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. kubernetes leads on adoption by 4,611% (128,645 vs 2,731 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; kics is written in Open Policy Agent under Apache-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 36% as many forks as stars, kics 14%. kubernetes 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
| kubernetes | kics | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 129K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Open Policy Agent |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 46K | ⑂ 385 |
| 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 kics if
- You want the kics feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Open Policy Agent
- You evaluated both and kics 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 kics
Find security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, and infrastructure misconfigurations early in the development cycle of your infrastructure as code with KICS by Checkmarx. KICS stands for K eeping I nfrastructure as C ode S ecure, it is open source and is a must have for any cloud native project. Supported Platforms <a href="
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or kics more popular?
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars and kics has 2,731. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and kics free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and kics under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and kics?
kubernetes is written in Go and kics in Open Policy Agent. 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 kics?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (128,645 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose kics if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.