head to head · open source
openapi-generator vs prest
openapi-generator has 26,848 GitHub stars, 7,751 forks, 5,820 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. prest has 4,630 stars, 324 forks, 153 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. openapi-generator leads on adoption by 480% (26,848 vs 4,630 stars). openapi-generator is written in Java under Apache-2.0; prest is written in Go under MIT. openapi-generator has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, prest 7%. openapi-generator was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (api), 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
| openapi-generator | prest | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 4.6K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.8K | ⑂ 324 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick openapi-generator if
- You weight community size — 27K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick prest if
- You want the prest feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and prest fits your workflow better
About openapi-generator
OpenAPI Generator Master ( 7.28.0 ): :star::star::star: If you would like to contribute, please refer to guidelines and a list of open tasks. :star::star::star: :bangbang: To migrate from Swagger Codegen to OpenAPI Generator, please refer to the migration guide :bangbang: :notebook with decorative cover: For more information, please refer to the Wiki page and FAQ :notebook with decorative cover: :notebook with decorative cover: The eBook A Beginner's Guide to Code Generation for REST APIs is a good starting point for beginners :notebook with decorative cover: :warning: If the OpenAPI spec, templates or any input…
read the full openapi-generator overview →
About prest
pRESTd p REST ( P ostgreSQL REST ) is a production ready API that delivers instant REST and Model Context Protocol (MCP) APIs on top of your existing or new Postgres database—CRUD, custom SQL routes, auth, ACL, and a read only MCP endpoint—without hand writing a backend. PostgreSQL version 9.5 or higher Contributor License Agreement — Documentation Full documentation lives at docs.prestd.com. Quick start Install and run options (Docker, Homebrew, or Go) are documented in Get pREST. Point pREST at Postgres ( PREST PG URL or pg. / DATABASE URL ), then call: See Configuring pREST for auth, ACL, custom queries, and…
read the full prest overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openapi-generator or prest more popular?
openapi-generator has 26,848 GitHub stars and prest has 4,630. openapi-generator has the larger community by that measure.
Are openapi-generator and prest free?
Both are open source. openapi-generator is licensed under Apache-2.0 and prest under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between openapi-generator and prest?
openapi-generator is written in Java and prest 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, openapi-generator or prest?
Choose openapi-generator if you want the larger community (26,848 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose prest if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.