Apache Kafkavsnetbird
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | netbird | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 81/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #2 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 30 310 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +327 | +807 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 40 |
| Latest release | — | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 81/100 for netbird, so it is the safer default.
netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, netbird is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
netbird is growing faster right now (+807 stars in 30 days).
Apache Kafka details →netbird details →