head to head · open source
Mermaid vs puppetboard
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars, 9,266 forks, 1,781 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. puppetboard has 736 stars, 240 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Mermaid leads on adoption by 12,168% (90,293 vs 736 stars). Mermaid is written in TypeScript under MIT; puppetboard is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Mermaid has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, puppetboard 33%. puppetboard 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 | puppetboard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 90K | ★ 736 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.3K | ⑂ 240 |
| 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 puppetboard if
- You want the puppetboard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and puppetboard 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 puppetboard
Puppetboard is a web frontend for PuppetDB, the database component of the Puppet ecosystem. It is a Python project licensed under Apache 2.0, and it is intended to provide dashboard and reporting access to PuppetDB data for open source Puppet users.
read the full puppetboard overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Mermaid or puppetboard more popular?
Mermaid has 90,293 GitHub stars and puppetboard has 736. Mermaid has the larger community by that measure.
Are Mermaid and puppetboard free?
Both are open source. Mermaid is licensed under MIT and puppetboard under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Mermaid and puppetboard?
Mermaid is written in TypeScript and puppetboard in Python. 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 puppetboard?
Choose Mermaid if you want the larger community (90,293 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose puppetboard if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.