OpenGrok vs Zoekt
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?
OpenGrok
Fast source code search and cross-reference engine
VS
Zoekt
Fast trigram-based code search engine
| Feature | OpenGrok | Zoekt |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | CDDL-1.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,902 | ★ 1,814 |
| First released | 2005 | 2016 |
| Replaces | GitHub Code Search | GitHub Code Search |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenGrok if…
- Released under the CDDL-1.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Choose Zoekt if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenGrok or Zoekt better?
Neither is universally better. OpenGrok has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenGrok and Zoekt free and open-source?
Yes. OpenGrok is licensed under CDDL-1.0 and Zoekt under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenGrok and Zoekt with Docker?
OpenGrok: yes. Zoekt: yes.