head to head · open source
nats-server vs SIP.js
nats-server has 20,749 GitHub stars, 1,963 forks, 472 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SIP.js has 2,096 stars, 728 forks, 97 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. nats-server leads on adoption by 890% (20,749 vs 2,096 stars). nats-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0; SIP.js is written in TypeScript under MIT. nats-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, SIP.js 35%. nats-server 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
| nats-server | SIP.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-06-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 728 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick nats-server if
- You weight community size — 21K 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 SIP.js if
- You want the SIP.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and SIP.js fits your workflow better
About nats-server
nats server is the Go based, Apache 2.0 licensed server at the heart of NATS, a simple, secure and performant communications system for digital systems, services and devices, aimed at teams building distributed systems, microservices, and cloud, edge or connected vehicle deployments that need messaging without running heavyweight broker infrastructure.
read the full nats-server overview →
About SIP.js
SIP.js is an MIT licensed TypeScript library that gives web applications a JavaScript signaling stack for SIP over WebSocket, so browsers can place and receive real time audio and video sessions through WebRTC.
read the full SIP.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is nats-server or SIP.js more popular?
nats-server has 20,749 GitHub stars and SIP.js has 2,096. nats-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are nats-server and SIP.js free?
Both are open source. nats-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SIP.js under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between nats-server and SIP.js?
nats-server is written in Go and SIP.js in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, nats-server or SIP.js?
Choose nats-server if you want the larger community (20,749 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose SIP.js if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.