head to head · open source
openapi-generator vs prest
openapi-generator has 26,752 GitHub stars, 7,678 forks, 5,752 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. prest has 4,619 stars, 322 forks, 153 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. openapi-generator leads on adoption by 479% (26,752 vs 4,619 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%. prest 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 | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.7K | ⑂ 322 |
| 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 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 prest
pREST (PostgreSQL + REST) is a production ready, MIT licensed Go service that exposes an instant REST API and a read only Model Context Protocol (MCP) endpoint on top of any existing or new PostgreSQL database, built for teams that want CRUD, custom SQL routes, authentication and access control without hand writing a backend.
read the full prest overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openapi-generator or prest more popular?
openapi-generator has 26,752 GitHub stars and prest has 4,619. 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 (26,752 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose prest if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.