head to head · open source
crowdsec vs Nettacker
crowdsec has 15,448 GitHub stars, 755 forks, 296 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Nettacker has 5,704 stars, 1,231 forks, 249 open issues and last shipped today. crowdsec leads on adoption by 171% (15,448 vs 5,704 stars). crowdsec is written in Go under MIT; Nettacker is written in Python under Apache-2.0. crowdsec has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Nettacker 22%. Nettacker 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
| crowdsec | Nettacker | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 5.7K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 755 | ⑂ 1.2K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick crowdsec if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Nettacker if
- You want the Nettacker 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 Nettacker fits your workflow better
About crowdsec
CrowdSec: open source IDS/IPS, WAF and bot detection CrowdSec is an open source and participative security solution offering crowdsourced server detection and protection against malicious IPs. Detect and block with our Security Engine, contribute to the network, and enjoy our real time community blocklist. Features & Advantages Versatile Security Engine CrowdSec Security Engine is an all in one IDS/IPS and WAF. It detects bad behaviors by analyzing log sources and HTTP requests, and allows active remediation thanks to the Remediation Components. Detection rules are available on our hub under MIT license…
read the full crowdsec overview →
About Nettacker
OWASP Nettacker ========= DISCLAIMER THIS SOFTWARE WAS CREATED FOR AUTOMATED PENETRATION TESTING AND INFORMATION GATHERING. YOU MUST USE THIS SOFTWARE IN A RESPONSIBLE AND ETHICAL MANNER. DO NOT TARGET SYSTEMS OR APPLICATIONS WITHOUT OBTAINING PERMISSIONS OR CONSENT FROM THE SYSTEM OWNERS OR ADMINISTRATORS. CONTRIBUTORS WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ILLEGAL USAGE. OWASP Nettacker is an open source, Python based automated penetration testing and information gathering framework designed to help cyber security professionals and ethical hackers perform reconnaissance, vulnerability assessments, and network…
read the full Nettacker overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is crowdsec or Nettacker more popular?
crowdsec has 15,448 GitHub stars and Nettacker has 5,704. crowdsec has the larger community by that measure.
Are crowdsec and Nettacker free?
Both are open source. crowdsec is licensed under MIT and Nettacker under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between crowdsec and Nettacker?
crowdsec is written in Go and Nettacker 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, crowdsec or Nettacker?
Choose crowdsec if you want the larger community (15,448 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Nettacker if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.