head to head · open source
openapi-generator vs redoc
openapi-generator has 26,846 GitHub stars, 7,749 forks, 5,810 open issues and last shipped today. redoc has 25,998 stars, 2,406 forks, 449 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. openapi-generator leads on adoption by 3% (26,846 vs 25,998 stars). openapi-generator is written in Java under Apache-2.0; redoc is written in TypeScript under MIT. openapi-generator has attracted 29% as many forks as stars, redoc 9%. openapi-generator was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (hacktoberfest, openapi, openapi3), 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 | redoc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 27K | ★ 26K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.7K | ⑂ 2.4K |
| 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 redoc if
- You want the redoc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and redoc fits your workflow better
About openapi-generator
OpenAPI Generator Master ( 7.28.0 ): :star::star::star: If you would like to contribute, please refer to guidelines and a list of open tasks. :star::star::star: :bangbang: To migrate from Swagger Codegen to OpenAPI Generator, please refer to the migration guide :bangbang: :notebook with decorative cover: For more information, please refer to the Wiki page and FAQ :notebook with decorative cover: :notebook with decorative cover: The eBook A Beginner's Guide to Code Generation for REST APIs is a good starting point for beginners :notebook with decorative cover: :warning: If the OpenAPI spec, templates or any input…
read the full openapi-generator overview →
About redoc
Learn what's coming in Redoc 3.x → Generate beautiful API documentation from OpenAPI About Redoc Redoc is an open source tool for generating documentation from OpenAPI (formerly Swagger) definitions. By default Redoc offers a three panel, responsive layout: The left panel contains a search bar and navigation menu. The central panel contains the documentation. The right panel contains request and response examples. Live demo If you want to see how Redoc renders your OpenAPI definition, you can try it out online at A version of the Swagger Petstore API is displayed by default. To test it with your own OpenAPI…
read the full redoc overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openapi-generator or redoc more popular?
openapi-generator has 26,846 GitHub stars and redoc has 25,998. openapi-generator has the larger community by that measure.
Are openapi-generator and redoc free?
Both are open source. openapi-generator is licensed under Apache-2.0 and redoc under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between openapi-generator and redoc?
openapi-generator is written in Java and redoc 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, openapi-generator or redoc?
Choose openapi-generator if you want the larger community (26,846 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose redoc if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.