# Nova Server vs OpenSearch

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

| | Nova Server | OpenSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 46/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #20 of 25 in Proxy | #7 of 41 in Search Engines |
| GitHub stars | 355 | 13 927 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 | +152 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 11 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.92.2 · 24 Oct 2026 ✓ | 2.19.7 · 17 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Shell | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

OpenSearch scores 76/100 against 46/100 for Nova Server, so it is the safer default.

OpenSearch ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Nova Server.

OpenSearch is growing faster right now (+152 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Nova Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/nova-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nova-server.md)
- [OpenSearch](https://selfhost.directory/project/opensearch) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/opensearch.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/nova-server-vs-opensearch