elasticsearchvsKula
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| elasticsearch | Kula | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 55/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 41 in Search Engines | #16 of 51 in Monitoring & observability |
| GitHub stars | 78 425 | 1 339 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +456 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 32 | 10 |
| Latest release | v9.5.5 · 6 Oct 2026 | 0.21.0 · 30 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
elasticsearch scores 83/100 against 55/100 for Kula, so it is the safer default.
elasticsearch ships more often: 32 stable releases in the past year, against 10 for Kula.
If you want the quickest setup, Kula is easier to run; elasticsearch needs more configuration.
elasticsearch is growing faster right now (+456 stars in 30 days).
elasticsearch details →Kula details →
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