head to head · open source
one-api vs SafeLine
one-api has 36,932 GitHub stars, 6,867 forks, 1,036 open issues and last shipped 8 months ago. SafeLine has 22,606 stars, 1,533 forks, 69 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. one-api leads on adoption by 63% (36,932 vs 22,606 stars). one-api is written in JavaScript under MIT; SafeLine is written in Go under GPL-3.0. one-api has attracted 19% as many forks as stars, SafeLine 7%. SafeLine was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (api-gateway), 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
| one-api | SafeLine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 23K |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-01-09 | 2026-09-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick one-api if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick SafeLine if
- You want the SafeLine feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and SafeLine fits your workflow better
About one-api
One API is a self hosted LLM API management and key redistribution system that exposes many model providers through the standard OpenAI API format, aimed at developers, teams and operators who want a single endpoint, a single key model and a single quota surface across providers.
read the full one-api overview →
About SafeLine
SafeLine is a self hosted web application firewall and reverse proxy, written in Go and licensed under GPL 3.0, that filters, monitors, and blocks malicious HTTP/S traffic before it reaches a web application — built for developers, AppSec engineers, and blue teams who want to run edge protection on their own infrastructure.
read the full SafeLine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is one-api or SafeLine more popular?
one-api has 36,932 GitHub stars and SafeLine has 22,606. one-api has the larger community by that measure.
Are one-api and SafeLine free?
Both are open source. one-api is licensed under MIT and SafeLine under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between one-api and SafeLine?
one-api is written in JavaScript and SafeLine 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, one-api or SafeLine?
Choose one-api if you want the larger community (36,932 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose SafeLine if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.