BackstagevsNova Server
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Backstage | Nova Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #8 of 166 in Developer Tools | #20 of 25 in Proxy |
| GitHub stars | 34 737 | 355 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +55 | +1 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 9 |
| Latest release | v1.57.0-next.0 · 27 Oct 2026 | v1.92.2 · 24 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Shell |
Which one should you pick?
Backstage scores 79/100 against 46/100 for Nova Server, so it is the safer default.
Backstage ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Nova Server.
If you want the quickest setup, Nova Server is easier to run; Backstage needs more configuration.
Backstage is growing faster right now (+55 stars in 30 days).
Backstage details →Nova Server details →