12 picks · data-backed ranking
Best open source apps written in Java
The best self-hosted apps written in Java are ElasticSearch, Keycloak and Halo. ElasticSearch leads with 78,194 GitHub stars. Candidates: the 50 apps whose main GitHub language is Java.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly
Top picks
- Rank 1:
ElasticSearch
elastic/elasticsearch
Distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine.
Search EnginesJavaElasticSearch has 78,194 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0, SSPL 1.0 or Elastic License 2.0 (your choice) license, is written in Java and had 13,336 commits in the last year; it replaces Algolia.
- Rank 2:
Keycloak
keycloak/keycloak
Open-source identity and access management with SSO, OIDC, SAML and user federation.
Identity & SSOJavaDockerKeycloak has 37,156 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 3,157 commits in the last year; it replaces Auth0 and Okta.
- Rank 3:
Halo
halo-dev/halo
A powerful and easy-to-use website building tool (documentation in Chinese).
Low-code & BackendJavaDockerHalo has 39,927 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 580 commits in the last year.
Full ranking
All 12 picks, ranked
Ranked by GitHub stars and recent activity. Open any pick for live stats and licence details.
- 1
ElasticSearch
Distributed, RESTful search and analytics engine.
Search EnginesElasticSearch has 78,194 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0, SSPL 1.0 or Elastic License 2.0 (your choice) license, is written in Java and had 13,336 commits in the last year; it replaces Algolia.
- 2
Keycloak
Open-source identity and access management with SSO, OIDC, SAML and user federation.
Identity & SSODockerKeycloak has 37,156 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 3,157 commits in the last year; it replaces Auth0 and Okta.
- 3
Halo
A powerful and easy-to-use website building tool (documentation in Chinese).
Low-code & BackendDockerHalo has 39,927 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 580 commits in the last year.
- 4
Kestra
Event-driven, language-agnostic platform to create, schedule, and monitor workflows. In code. Coordinate data pipelines and tasks such as ETL and ELT.
Automation & WorkflowsDockerKestra has 29,274 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 4,392 commits in the last year; it replaces Zapier.
- 5
Jenkins
The leading open-source automation server for building, testing and deploying software.
CI/CD & DeploymentDockerJenkins has 26,618 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 1,159 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub Actions / CircleCI.
- 6
Mindustry
Factorio-like tower defense game. Build production chains to gather more resources, and build complex facilities.
GamesMindustry has 29,232 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, is written in Java and had 1,920 commits in the last year.
- 7
Apache SkyWalking
Application performance monitoring and observability platform for distributed systems.
Monitoring & Status PagesDockerApache SkyWalking has 24,967 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 265 commits in the last year.
- 8
LanguageTool
Proofread more than 20 languages. It finds many errors that a simple spell checker cannot detect.
UtilitiesDockerLanguageTool has 15,107 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-2.1 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 1,930 commits in the last year.
- 9
Druid
Distributed, column-oriented, real-time analytics data store.
AnalyticsDockerDruid has 14,059 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 1,223 commits in the last year.
- 10
OpenSearch
Distributed and RESTful search engine.
Search EnginesDockerOpenSearch has 13,815 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 1,370 commits in the last year; it replaces Algolia.
- 11
OneDev
All-In-One DevOps Platform. With Git Management, Issue Tracking, and CI/CD. Simple yet Powerful.
Project ManagementDockerAI-nativeOneDev has 15,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 608 commits in the last year; it replaces GitHub and GitLab.
- 12
Thingsboard
IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.
Source-availableHome Automation & IoTDockerThingsboard has 22,512 GitHub stars, is source-available under the BSL 1.1 (not an open-source license), ships a Docker image, is written in Java and had 3,539 commits in the last year.
What are the best self-hosted apps written in Java?
The best self-hosted apps written in Java are ElasticSearch, Keycloak and Halo. ElasticSearch leads with 78,194 GitHub stars. Candidates: the 50 apps whose main GitHub language is Java.
Is ElasticSearch free?
Yes. ElasticSearch is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0, SSPL 1.0 or Elastic License 2.0 (your choice) license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Can I self-host these apps with Docker?
Yes, 10 of the 12 picks. Keycloak, Halo and Kestra publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.
Are all of these apps open source?
11 of the 12 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.
Which of these apps is the most actively developed?
ElasticSearch, with 13,336 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v9.5.4, from September 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
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