Laminar vs Spinnaker
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?
Laminar
Lightweight and modular continuous integration service
VS
Spinnaker
Multi-cloud continuous delivery platform
| Feature | Laminar | Spinnaker |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 352 | ★ 9,762 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Jenkins | Harness |
Why pick each one
Choose Laminar if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Spinnaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Laminar or Spinnaker better?
Neither is universally better. Spinnaker has the larger community, while Laminar is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Laminar and Spinnaker free and open-source?
Yes. Laminar is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Spinnaker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Laminar and Spinnaker with Docker?
Laminar: check the project docs for container support. Spinnaker: check the project docs for container support.