# pylon vs Shields

> Two self-hosted [Developer Tools projects](https://selfhost.directory/developer-tools), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | pylon | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #112 of 166 in Developer Tools | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 231 | 27 331 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +125 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v2.12.2 · 29 Jul 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 45/100 for pylon, so it is the safer default.

pylon ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; pylon needs more configuration.

Shields is growing faster right now (+125 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [pylon](https://selfhost.directory/project/pylon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pylon.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/pylon-vs-shields