Apache KafkavsNavidrome Music Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | Navidrome Music Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #2 of 54 in Media Streaming |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 24 413 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +346 | +655 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 15 |
| Latest release | — | v0.64.2 · 23 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 80/100 for Navidrome Music Server, so it is the safer default.
Navidrome Music Server ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, Navidrome Music Server is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
Apache Kafka details →Navidrome Music Server details →