head to head · open source
Shelf vs ralph
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars, 384 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. ralph has 2,531 stars, 593 forks, 124 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shelf leads on adoption by 20% (3,049 vs 2,531 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; ralph is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Shelf has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, ralph 23%. Shelf was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (assets-management), 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
| Shelf | ralph | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.0K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | Custom / other | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 384 | ⑂ 593 |
| 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 Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ralph if
- You want the ralph feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and ralph fits your workflow better
About Shelf
Open source asset management infrastructure for everyone. Website · Documentation · Discord · Twitter Shelf is a platform for tracking physical assets — equipment, devices, tools, vehicles, props, inventory. It's built for teams that need to know what they have, where it is, and who's using it. Organizations use Shelf to manage thousands of assets across locations with role based access for their teams. Features QR asset tags — Generate and print QR codes. Scan with any phone to view, check out, or report an asset. Bookings and reservations — Schedule equipment, prevent double bookings, set…
read the full Shelf overview →
About ralph
Ralph Update 2025/02 As Allegro, we continue to publish Ralph's source code and will maintain its development under a "Sources only" model, without guarantees. We believe this approach will be beneficial, allowing everyone to use and build upon the software. Our current goal is to modernize the software and ensure its long term maintainability, and we're investing into it in 2025. However, we are not operating under a contribution based model. While we welcome discussions, we do not guarantee responses to issues or support for pull requests. If you require commercial support, please visit We sincerely appreciate…
read the full ralph overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or ralph more popular?
Shelf has 3,049 GitHub stars and ralph has 2,531. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and ralph free?
Both are open source. Shelf has no licence declared in this registry, and ralph is licensed under Apache-2.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Shelf and ralph?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and ralph 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 ralph?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,049 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose ralph if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.