head to head · open source
Shelf vs packj
Shelf has 3,014 GitHub stars, 367 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. packj has 693 stars, 38 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shelf leads on adoption by 335% (3,014 vs 693 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; packj is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. Shelf has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, packj 5%. Shelf 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
| Shelf | packj | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.0K | ★ 693 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 367 | ⑂ 38 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Shelf if
- You weight community size — 3.0K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick packj if
- You want the packj feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and packj fits your workflow better
About Shelf
Shelf is a free, open source platform for tracking physical assets, including equipment, devices, tools, vehicles, props, and inventory. It is built for teams that need to know what they have, where it is, and who is using it. The project sits in the IT asset management, equipment management, scheduling, and operations software ecosystem.
read the full Shelf overview →
About packj
Packj is an open source software supply chain security tool that flags malicious, vulnerable, abandoned, and typo squatting dependencies before they reach production, built for developers and DevOps and DevSecOps teams who vet npm, PyPI, RubyGems, Cargo, Packagist, and NuGet packages.
read the full packj overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or packj more popular?
Shelf has 3,014 GitHub stars and packj has 693. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and packj free?
Both are open source. Shelf is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and packj under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Shelf and packj?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and packj in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Shelf or packj?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,014 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose packj if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.