head to head · open source
jsdoc vs nb
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars, 1,492 forks, 459 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nb has 8,405 stars, 254 forks, 153 open issues and last shipped 25 days ago. jsdoc leads on adoption by 84% (15,465 vs 8,405 stars). jsdoc is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; nb is written in Shell under AGPL-3.0. jsdoc has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, nb 3%. jsdoc 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
| jsdoc | nb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 8.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-08-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 254 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick jsdoc if
- You weight community size — 15K 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 nb if
- You want the nb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and nb fits your workflow better
About jsdoc
JSDoc is an API documentation generator for JavaScript that reads annotations in source comments and produces a browsable documentation site, aimed at JavaScript developers and library maintainers who need reference documentation to stay in sync with code.
read the full jsdoc overview →
About nb
nb is a command line and local web note taking, bookmarking, archiving, and knowledge base application distributed as a single portable shell script, aimed at people who want plain text notes, Git backed history, and local search without a hosted service.
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Frequently asked questions
Is jsdoc or nb more popular?
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars and nb has 8,405. jsdoc has the larger community by that measure.
Are jsdoc and nb free?
Both are open source. jsdoc is licensed under Apache-2.0 and nb under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between jsdoc and nb?
jsdoc is written in JavaScript and nb in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, jsdoc or nb?
Choose jsdoc if you want the larger community (15,465 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose nb if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.