head to head · open source
thc-hydra vs npq
thc-hydra has 12,324 GitHub stars, 2,677 forks, 50 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. npq has 1,796 stars, 43 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. thc-hydra leads on adoption by 586% (12,324 vs 1,796 stars). thc-hydra is written in C under AGPL-3.0; npq is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. thc-hydra has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, npq 2%. npq 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
| thc-hydra | npq | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 1.8K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-07-30 | 2026-08-25 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.7K | ⑂ 43 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick thc-hydra if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick npq if
- You want the npq feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and npq fits your workflow better
About thc-hydra
Hydra is an AGPL 3.0 licensed, C based login cracker that attacks dozens of network protocols in parallel, built for security researchers and penetration testing consultants who need to demonstrate how easily a remote system can be reached with weak credentials.
read the full thc-hydra overview →
About npq
npq is a command line security tool that audits npm packages before they are installed, aimed at Node.js developers and supply chain security teams who want a pre install checkpoint rather than discovering a malicious or vulnerable dependency after its install scripts have already run.
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Frequently asked questions
Is thc-hydra or npq more popular?
thc-hydra has 12,324 GitHub stars and npq has 1,796. thc-hydra has the larger community by that measure.
Are thc-hydra and npq free?
Both are open source. thc-hydra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and npq under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between thc-hydra and npq?
thc-hydra is written in C and npq in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, thc-hydra or npq?
Choose thc-hydra if you want the larger community (12,324 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose npq if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.