# elasticsearch vs vanilla-cookbook

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

| | elasticsearch | vanilla-cookbook |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 41 in Search Engines | #13 of 18 in Recipe Management |
| GitHub stars | 78 428 ✓ | 158 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +448 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 32 ✓ | 13 |
| Latest release | v9.5.5 · 6 Oct 2026 | v1.6.1 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Java | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

elasticsearch scores 84/100 against 46/100 for vanilla-cookbook, so it is the safer default.

elasticsearch ships more often: 32 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for vanilla-cookbook.

If you want the quickest setup, vanilla-cookbook is easier to run; elasticsearch needs more configuration.

elasticsearch is growing faster right now (+448 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [elasticsearch](https://selfhost.directory/project/elasticsearch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/elasticsearch.md)
- [vanilla-cookbook](https://selfhost.directory/project/vanilla-cookbook) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/vanilla-cookbook.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/elasticsearch-vs-vanilla-cookbook