Buildkite Agent vs Laminar
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Buildkite Agent
Self-hosted CI/CD agent for your own infrastructure
VS
Laminar
Lightweight and modular continuous integration service
| Feature | Buildkite Agent | Laminar |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,035 | ★ 352 |
| First released | 2014 | 2016 |
| Replaces | GitHub Actions, CircleCI | Jenkins |
Why pick each one
Choose Buildkite Agent if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Laminar if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Buildkite Agent or Laminar better?
Neither is universally better. Buildkite Agent has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Buildkite Agent and Laminar free and open-source?
Yes. Buildkite Agent is licensed under MIT and Laminar under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Buildkite Agent and Laminar with Docker?
Buildkite Agent: yes. Laminar: check the project docs for container support.