head to head · open source
openapi-generator vs redoc
openapi-generator has 26,745 GitHub stars, 7,674 forks, 5,751 open issues and last shipped yesterday. redoc has 25,913 stars, 2,395 forks, 449 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. openapi-generator leads on adoption by 3% (26,745 vs 25,913 stars). openapi-generator is written in Java under Apache-2.0; redoc is written in TypeScript under MIT. openapi-generator has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, redoc 9%. openapi-generator was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (hacktoberfest, openapi, openapi3), 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 | redoc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 26K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.7K | ⑂ 2.4K |
| 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 redoc if
- You want the redoc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and redoc fits your workflow better
About openapi-generator
OpenAPI Generator is an Apache 2.0 licensed Java tool that generates API client libraries, server stubs, documentation, and configuration automatically from an OpenAPI Specification, and it is built for development teams that keep a machine readable API description and want generated code to stay in step with it.
read the full openapi-generator overview →
About redoc
Redoc is an open source tool for generating API reference documentation from OpenAPI definitions, formerly known as Swagger. It lives in the JavaScript and TypeScript ecosystem, ships under the MIT license, and is published on npm as the redoc package. By default it renders a responsive three panel layout: a left panel holding the search bar and navigation menu, a central panel holding the documentation itself, and a right panel showing request and response examples.
read the full redoc overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openapi-generator or redoc more popular?
openapi-generator has 26,745 GitHub stars and redoc has 25,913. openapi-generator has the larger community by that measure.
Are openapi-generator and redoc free?
Both are open source. openapi-generator is licensed under Apache-2.0 and redoc under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between openapi-generator and redoc?
openapi-generator is written in Java and redoc in TypeScript. 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 redoc?
Choose openapi-generator if you want the larger community (26,745 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose redoc if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.