head to head · open source
Pumpkin vs PowerNukkitX
Pumpkin has 12,228 GitHub stars, 903 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped today. PowerNukkitX has 684 stars, 206 forks, 37 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Pumpkin leads on adoption by 1,688% (12,228 vs 684 stars). Pumpkin is written in Rust under GPL-3.0; PowerNukkitX is written in Java under LGPL-3.0. Pumpkin has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, PowerNukkitX 30%. Pumpkin was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (game-server, minecraft), 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
| Pumpkin | PowerNukkitX | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 684 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | LGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-10 | 2026-10-09 |
| Forks | ⑂ 903 | ⑂ 206 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Pumpkin if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick PowerNukkitX if
- You want the PowerNukkitX feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and PowerNukkitX fits your workflow better
About Pumpkin
Pumpkin is a Minecraft server implementation written entirely in Rust that aims to let anyone host fast and efficient Java and Bedrock Edition servers, and it is built for server operators and plugin developers who want vanilla compatible gameplay without the official Java server.
read the full Pumpkin overview →
About PowerNukkitX
PowerNukkitX is an open source Java server implementation for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, built for server owners and plugin developers who want a customizable, high performance third party server.
read the full PowerNukkitX overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pumpkin or PowerNukkitX more popular?
Pumpkin has 12,228 GitHub stars and PowerNukkitX has 684. Pumpkin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Pumpkin and PowerNukkitX free?
Both are open source. Pumpkin is licensed under GPL-3.0 and PowerNukkitX under LGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Pumpkin and PowerNukkitX?
Pumpkin is written in Rust and PowerNukkitX in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Pumpkin or PowerNukkitX?
Choose Pumpkin if you want the larger community (12,228 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose PowerNukkitX if its feature set, stack or LGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.