Headlamp vs Skooner
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Headlamp
Extensible web UI for Kubernetes clusters
VS
Skooner
Simple and lightweight Kubernetes dashboard
| Feature | Headlamp | Skooner |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, helm, binary | docker, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,027 | ★ 1,441 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Lens, Kubernetes Dashboard | Kubernetes Dashboard |
Why pick each one
Choose Headlamp if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Skooner if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Headlamp or Skooner better?
Neither is universally better. Headlamp has the larger community, while Skooner is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Headlamp and Skooner free and open-source?
Yes. Headlamp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Skooner under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headlamp and Skooner with Docker?
Headlamp: yes. Skooner: yes.