# apache-nifi vs NATS

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | apache-nifi | NATS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 72/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 8 in Data Pipeline | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 6 277 | 20 954 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +33 | +189 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | rel/nifi-2.12.0 · 13 Sept 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 72/100 for apache-nifi, so it is the safer default.

NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for apache-nifi.

If you want the quickest setup, NATS is easier to run; apache-nifi needs more configuration.

NATS is growing faster right now (+189 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [apache-nifi](https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-nifi) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-nifi.md)
- [NATS](https://selfhost.directory/project/nats) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nats.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/apache-nifi-vs-nats