head to head · open source
jsdoc vs nebula
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars, 1,492 forks, 459 open issues and last shipped yesterday. nebula has 12,398 stars, 1,329 forks, 678 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. jsdoc leads on adoption by 25% (15,465 vs 12,398 stars). jsdoc is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; nebula is written in C++ under Apache-2.0. jsdoc has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, nebula 11%. 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 | nebula | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 nebula if
- You want the nebula feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and nebula 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 nebula
NebulaGraph is an open source, distributed graph database written in C++ and released under the Apache 2.0 license. It lives in the graph database ecosystem and appears in the CNCF Database Landscape. The project describes itself as symmetrically distributed, with storage and computing separated into distinct layers, horizontal scalability across nodes, strong data consistency enforced through the RAFT protocol, an OpenCypher compatible query language, role based access control, and a set of graph analytics algorithms. It has been developed for roughly eight years and carries 12,387 stars, 1,330 forks, and 678 op…
read the full nebula overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is jsdoc or nebula more popular?
jsdoc has 15,465 GitHub stars and nebula has 12,398. jsdoc has the larger community by that measure.
Are jsdoc and nebula free?
Both are open source. jsdoc is licensed under Apache-2.0 and nebula under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between jsdoc and nebula?
jsdoc is written in JavaScript and nebula in C++. 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 nebula?
Choose jsdoc if you want the larger community (15,465 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose nebula if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.