head to head · open source
Shelf vs rebuild
Shelf has 3,014 GitHub stars, 367 forks, 181 open issues and last shipped yesterday. rebuild has 1,069 stars, 257 forks, 10 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Shelf leads on adoption by 182% (3,014 vs 1,069 stars). Shelf is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; rebuild is written in Java under GPL-3.0. Shelf has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, rebuild 24%. 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 | rebuild | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.0K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 367 | ⑂ 257 |
| 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 rebuild if
- You want the rebuild feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and rebuild 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 rebuild
REBUILD is a highly configurable, open source enterprise management system written in Java and licensed under GPL 3.0, built for enterprise IT teams, small and medium businesses, business managers and developers who need to assemble systems such as CRM, WMS, MES, HRM, TMS or ERP through zero code and low code configuration.
read the full rebuild overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Shelf or rebuild more popular?
Shelf has 3,014 GitHub stars and rebuild has 1,069. Shelf has the larger community by that measure.
Are Shelf and rebuild free?
Both are open source. Shelf is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and rebuild under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Shelf and rebuild?
Shelf is written in TypeScript and rebuild 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, Shelf or rebuild?
Choose Shelf if you want the larger community (3,014 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose rebuild if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.