head to head · open source
Mermaid vs CBoard
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. CBoard has 3,097 stars, 1,149 forks, 101 open issues and last shipped 10 months ago. Mermaid leads on adoption by 2,816% (90,299 vs 3,097 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; CBoard is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, CBoard 37%. Mermaid 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
| Mermaid | CBoard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2025-12-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 1.1K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Mermaid if
- You weight community size — 90K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick CBoard if
- You want the CBoard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and CBoard fits your workflow better
About Mermaid
Mermaid is a JavaScript based diagramming tool that renders diagrams from Markdown like text definitions. It lives in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem and operates both in the browser and in Node.js environments. The project’s core purpose is to eliminate the gap between software development and documentation by letting developers write diagrams alongside code, avoiding the rot and overhead of manual diagram maintenance.
read the full Mermaid overview →
About CBoard
CBoard is an Apache 2.0, self service open business intelligence platform for interactive multi dimensional report design and dashboard building, aimed at analysts who want drag and drop reporting and at Java developers who need to connect data sources the platform does not support out of the box.
read the full CBoard overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or CBoard more popular?
Mermaid has 90,299 GitHub stars and CBoard has 3,097. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and CBoard free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and CBoard under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and CBoard?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and CBoard in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Mermaid or CBoard?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,299 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose CBoard if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.