head to head · open source
react vs validator
react has 250,892 GitHub stars, 51,435 forks, 1,377 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. validator has 1,988 stars, 336 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. react leads on adoption by 12,520% (250,892 vs 1,988 stars). react is written in JavaScript under MIT; validator is written in Java under MIT. react has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, validator 17%. react 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| react | validator | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 251K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 51K | ⑂ 336 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick react if
- You weight community size — 251K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick validator if
- You want the validator feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and validator fits your workflow better
About react
React is a JavaScript library under the MIT licence for building user interfaces, using a declarative, component based model that renders both on the web and, through React Native, on mobile.
read the full react overview →
About validator
The Nu Html Checker (vnu) is an MIT licensed Java tool and HTTP service for catching mistakes in HTML, CSS, and SVG documents, aimed at developers who want command line, scripted, or self hosted web standards validation.
read the full validator overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More Frameworks & Platforms projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Frameworks & Platforms field.
Frequently asked questions
Is react or validator more popular?
react has 250,892 GitHub stars and validator has 1,988. react has the larger community by that measure.
Are react and validator free?
Both are open source. react is licensed under MIT and validator under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between react and validator?
react is written in JavaScript and validator 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, react or validator?
Choose react if you want the larger community (250,892 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose validator if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.