head to head · open source
puppeteer vs Directus
puppeteer has 95,590 GitHub stars, 9,576 forks, 259 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Directus has 37,898 stars, 4,947 forks, 402 open issues and last shipped yesterday. puppeteer leads on adoption by 152% (95,590 vs 37,898 stars). puppeteer is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; Directus is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. puppeteer has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Directus 13%. Directus was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| puppeteer | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 96K | ★ 38K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 9.6K | ⑂ 4.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick puppeteer if
- You weight community size — 96K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Directus if
- You want the Directus feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Directus fits your workflow better
About puppeteer
Puppeteer is an Apache 2.0 JavaScript and TypeScript library that provides a high level API for driving Chrome and Firefox over the DevTools Protocol or WebDriver BiDi, written for developers who automate browsers from Node.js.
read the full puppeteer overview →
About Directus
Directus is an open source data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST and GraphQL API layer and a visual management interface. It lives in the developer tools and frameworks ecosystem, specifically targeting teams needing a flexible backend for content management, admin panels, or custom applications without writing boilerplate code.
read the full Directus overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is puppeteer or Directus more popular?
puppeteer has 95,590 GitHub stars and Directus has 37,898. puppeteer has the larger community by that measure.
Are puppeteer and Directus free?
Both are open source. puppeteer is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Directus has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between puppeteer and Directus?
puppeteer is written in TypeScript and Directus 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, puppeteer or Directus?
Choose puppeteer if you want the larger community (95,590 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Directus if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.