# Cert Warden vs certificates

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

| | Cert Warden | certificates |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 47/100 | 72/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 8 in Certificate Management | #1 of 2 in PKI |
| GitHub stars | 627 | 9 020 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +15 | +120 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 11 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v0.30.1 · 5 Sept 2026 ✓ | v0.30.2 · 23 Mar 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Dockerfile | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

certificates scores 72/100 against 47/100 for Cert Warden, so it is the safer default.

Cert Warden ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for certificates.

If you want the quickest setup, Cert Warden is easier to run; certificates needs more configuration.

certificates is growing faster right now (+120 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Cert Warden](https://selfhost.directory/project/cert-warden) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/cert-warden.md)
- [certificates](https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/certificates.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/cert-warden-vs-certificates