Apache KafkavsOpenSearch
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | OpenSearch | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #7 of 41 in Search Engines |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 13 927 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +327 | +152 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 11 |
| Latest release | — | 2.19.7 · 17 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 76/100 for OpenSearch, so it is the safer default.
OpenSearch ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, OpenSearch is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
Apache Kafka is growing faster right now (+327 stars in 30 days).
Apache Kafka details →OpenSearch details →