Rundeck vs Semaphore UI
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?
Rundeck
Runbook automation and self-service operations
VS
Semaphore UI
Modern web UI for Ansible, Terraform and more
| Feature | Rundeck | Semaphore UI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Groovy | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,255 | ★ 13,973 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Ansible Tower | Ansible Tower, AWX |
Why pick each one
Choose Rundeck if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Groovy
Choose Semaphore UI if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Rundeck or Semaphore UI better?
Semaphore UI is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rundeck if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Rundeck and Semaphore UI free and open-source?
Yes. Rundeck is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Semaphore UI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rundeck and Semaphore UI with Docker?
Rundeck: yes. Semaphore UI: yes.