head to head · open source
raylib vs Pumpkin
raylib has 35,538 GitHub stars, 3,370 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Pumpkin has 12,804 stars, 983 forks, 452 open issues and last shipped yesterday. raylib leads on adoption by 178% (35,538 vs 12,804 stars). raylib is written in C under Zlib; Pumpkin is written in Rust under GPL-3.0. raylib has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, Pumpkin 8%. Pumpkin was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (gamedev), 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
| raylib | Pumpkin | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 36K | ★ 13K |
| License | Zlib | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 983 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick raylib if
- You weight community size — 36K stars and counting
- You want the Zlib license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Pumpkin if
- You want the Pumpkin feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Pumpkin fits your workflow better
About raylib
raylib is a simple and easy to use library to enjoy videogames programming. raylib is highly inspired by Borland BGI graphics lib and by XNA framework and it's especially well suited for prototyping, tooling, graphical applications, embedded systems and education. NOTE for ADVENTURERS: raylib is a programming library to enjoy videogames programming; no fancy interface, no visual helpers, no debug button... just coding in the most pure spartan programmers way. Ready to learn? Jump to code examples! features NO external dependencies , all required libraries are included in raylib Multiple platforms supported…
read the full raylib overview →
About Pumpkin
Pumpkin Pumpkin is a Minecraft server built entirely in Rust, offering a fast, efficient, and customizable experience. It prioritizes performance and player enjoyment while adhering to the core mechanics of the game. Goals Performance : Leveraging multi threading for maximum speed and efficiency. Compatibility : Supports the latest Java & Bedrock Minecraft server version while adhering to Vanilla game mechanics. Security : Prioritizes security by preventing known security exploits. Flexibility : Highly configurable, with the ability to disable unnecessary features. Extensibility : Provides a foundation for…
read the full Pumpkin overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is raylib or Pumpkin more popular?
raylib has 35,538 GitHub stars and Pumpkin has 12,804. raylib has the larger community by that measure.
Are raylib and Pumpkin free?
Both are open source. raylib is licensed under Zlib and Pumpkin under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between raylib and Pumpkin?
raylib is written in C and Pumpkin in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, raylib or Pumpkin?
Choose raylib if you want the larger community (35,538 stars) or its Zlib licence terms. Choose Pumpkin if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.