Apache KafkavsumbrelOS
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | umbrelOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 72/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #2 of 22 in Home Server |
| GitHub stars | 34 154 | 12 477 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +329 | +425 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 7 |
| Latest release | — | 2.0.0 · 22 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 72/100 for umbrelOS, so it is the safer default.
umbrelOS ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, umbrelOS is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
Apache Kafka details →umbrelOS details →