head to head · open source
kubernetes vs wtf
kubernetes has 128,842 GitHub stars, 45,758 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped yesterday. wtf has 17,139 stars, 867 forks, 107 open issues and last shipped 13 days ago. kubernetes leads on adoption by 652% (128,842 vs 17,139 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; wtf is written in Go under MPL-2.0. kubernetes has attracted 36% as many forks as stars, wtf 5%. kubernetes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (go), 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 | wtf | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 129K | ★ 17K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 46K | ⑂ 867 |
| 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 wtf if
- You want the wtf feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and wtf 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 wtf
:rotating light: :warning: This project is going through some changes as we prepare for v1.0. This includes a rename from WTF to Tessera ! Stay tuned! :warning: :rotating light: WTF (aka 'wtfutil') is the personal information dashboard for your terminal, providing at a glance access to your very important but infrequently needed stats and data. Used by thousands of developers and tech people around the world, WTF is free and open source. To support the continued use and development of WTF, please consider sponsoring WTF via GitHub Sponsors. Are you a contributor or sponsor? Awesome! See here for how you can…
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or wtf more popular?
kubernetes has 128,842 GitHub stars and wtf has 17,139. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and wtf free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and wtf under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and wtf?
kubernetes is written in Go and wtf 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 wtf?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (128,842 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose wtf if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.