Apache Kafkavswindmill
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | windmill | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #6 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 34 154 | 18 308 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +348 | +288 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 163 |
| Latest release | — | v1.853.0 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 77/100 for windmill, so it is the safer default.
windmill ships more often: 163 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
If you want the quickest setup, windmill is easier to run; Apache Kafka needs more configuration.
Apache Kafka details →windmill details →