head to head · open source
node-redis vs centrifugo
node-redis has 17,594 GitHub stars, 1,987 forks, 159 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. centrifugo has 10,946 stars, 752 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. node-redis leads on adoption by 61% (17,594 vs 10,946 stars). node-redis is written in TypeScript under MIT; centrifugo is written in Go under Apache-2.0. node-redis has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, centrifugo 7%. node-redis was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (redis), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| node-redis | centrifugo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.0K | ⑂ 752 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick node-redis if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick centrifugo if
- You want the centrifugo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and centrifugo fits your workflow better
About node-redis
Node Redis node redis is a modern, high performance Redis client for Node.js. How do I Redis? Learn for free at Redis University Build faster with the Redis Launchpad Try the Redis Cloud Dive in developer tutorials Join the Redis community Work at Redis Installation Start a redis via docker: To install node redis, simply: "redis" is the "whole in one" package that includes all the other packages. If you only need a subset of the commands, you can install the individual packages. See the list below. Packages Looking for a high level library to handle object mapping? See redis om node! Usage Basic Example The same…
read the full node-redis overview →
About centrifugo
Centrifugo Scalable real time messaging server in a language agnostic way. Centrifugo is an open source scalable real time messaging server. It instantly delivers messages to application online users connected over supported transports (WebSocket, HTTP streaming, Server Sent Events (aka EventSource), GRPC, WebTransport). Centrifugo has the concept of channel subscriptions – so it's a user facing PUB/SUB server. Centrifugo is language agnostic and can be used to build chat apps, live comments, multiplayer games, real time data visualizations, collaborative tools, AI streaming responses, etc. in combination with…
read the full centrifugo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is node-redis or centrifugo more popular?
node-redis has 17,594 GitHub stars and centrifugo has 10,946. node-redis has the larger community by that measure.
Are node-redis and centrifugo free?
Both are open source. node-redis is licensed under MIT and centrifugo under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between node-redis and centrifugo?
node-redis is written in TypeScript and centrifugo in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, node-redis or centrifugo?
Choose node-redis if you want the larger community (17,594 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose centrifugo if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.