head to head · open source
lighthouse vs windows_hardening
lighthouse has 31,005 GitHub stars, 9,785 forks, 470 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. windows_hardening has 2,673 stars, 332 forks, 21 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. lighthouse leads on adoption by 1,060% (31,005 vs 2,673 stars). lighthouse is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; windows_hardening is written in PowerShell under MIT. lighthouse has attracted 32% as many forks as stars, windows_hardening 12%. lighthouse was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (audit), 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
| lighthouse | windows_hardening | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 31K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | PowerShell |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.8K | ⑂ 332 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick lighthouse if
- You weight community size — 31K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick windows_hardening if
- You want the windows_hardening feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PowerShell
- You evaluated both and windows_hardening fits your workflow better
About lighthouse
Lighthouse Lighthouse analyzes web apps and web pages, collecting modern performance metrics and insights on developer best practices. Using Lighthouse Using Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools Using the Chrome extension Using the Node CLI CLI options Using the Node module Viewing a report Online Viewer Docs & Recipes Developing Lighthouse Setup Run Tests Docs Associated Products and Projects Lighthouse Integrations in Web Perf services Lighthouse Integrations in non Web Perf services Plugins Related projects FAQ How does Lighthouse work? Can I configure the lighthouse run? How does Lighthouse use network throttling…
read the full lighthouse overview →
About windows_hardening
HardeningKitty and Windows Hardening Introduction The project started as a simple hardening list for Windows 10. After some time, HardeningKitty was created to simplify the hardening of Windows. Now, HardeningKitty supports guidelines from Microsoft, CIS Benchmarks, DoD STIG and BSI SiSyPHuS Win10. And of course my own hardening list. This is a hardening checklist that can be used in private and business environments for hardening Windows 10. The checklist can be used for all Windows versions, but in Windows 10 Home the Group Policy Editor is not integrated and the adjustment must be done directly in the…
read the full windows_hardening overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lighthouse or windows_hardening more popular?
lighthouse has 31,005 GitHub stars and windows_hardening has 2,673. lighthouse has the larger community by that measure.
Are lighthouse and windows_hardening free?
Both are open source. lighthouse is licensed under Apache-2.0 and windows_hardening under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lighthouse and windows_hardening?
lighthouse is written in JavaScript and windows_hardening in PowerShell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, lighthouse or windows_hardening?
Choose lighthouse if you want the larger community (31,005 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose windows_hardening if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.