--- title: "rig vs 12-factor-agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/0xplaygrounds-rig-vs-humanlayer-12-factor-agents" tools: ["0xplaygrounds-rig", "humanlayer-12-factor-agents"] --- # rig vs 12-factor-agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 30, 2026* ## Verdict Pick rig if rig is a Rust library designed to create modular and scalable LLM applications with extensive support for agentic workflows, multi-turn streaming, full compatibility with GenAI conventions, and integration capabilities; pick 12-factor-agents if a TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. [rig](https://rig.rs) reports 8.7k GitHub stars, 974 forks, and 102 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. [12-factor-agents](https://github.com/humanlayer/12-factor-agents) has 25k stars, 1.9k forks, and 26 open issues, last pushed Sep 21, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [rig's repository](https://github.com/0xPlaygrounds/rig) and [12-factor-agents's repository](https://github.com/humanlayer/12-factor-agents). | | [rig](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig.md) | [12-factor-agents](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Build modular and scalable LLM Applications in Rust | Principles for building production-ready LLM-powered software | | Stars | 8,679 | 25,353 | | Forks | 974 | 1,918 | | Open issues | 102 | 26 | | Language | Rust | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Rig is a Rust library designed to create modular and scalable LLM applications with extensive support for agentic workflows, multi-turn streaming, full compatibility with GenAI conventions, and integration capabilities. | A TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | The content and images are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, while the code is covered by the Apache 2.0 License. | | Categories | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [rig](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig.md) | [12-factor-agents](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Slowing (36%) | | Days since push | 0d | 330d | | Open issues (now) | 102 | 26 | | Stars delta | +351 (30d) | +966 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -11 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: rig - **Hosting:** self hosted - Self-hosted as a Rust library. - **Pricing:** freemium - Free to use under MIT license with potential premium support options. - **Adopt for:** Rig is a Rust library designed to create modular and scalable LLM applications with extensive support for agentic workflows, multi-turn streaming, full compatibility with GenAI conventions, and integration capabilities. - **License detail:** MIT ## Decision facts: 12-factor-agents - **Pricing:** freemium - Free to use with open-source licenses - **Requirements:** Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management. - **Adopt for:** A TypeScript-based framework focused on applying 12-factor principles to build production-ready software with large language models. - **License detail:** The content and images are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, while the code is covered by the Apache 2.0 License. ## Choose when ### Choose rig if… - rig is primarily Rust; 12-factor-agents is TypeScript. - License: rig is MIT, 12-factor-agents is Other. - Self-hosted as a Rust library. - Pricing: Free to use under MIT license with potential premium support options.. - Tags unique to rig: agent, artificial-intelligence, automation, generative-ai. - You should use Rig when you need to work with LLM applications in Rust and want full WASM (core library) compatibility. ### Choose 12-factor-agents if… - 12-factor-agents is primarily TypeScript; rig is Rust. - License: 12-factor-agents is Other, rig is MIT. - Pricing: Free to use with open-source licenses. - Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management.. - Tags unique to 12-factor-agents: 12-factor, agents, context-window, framework. - You are specifically developing AI agents or LLM-powered applications in TypeScript and need a structured guideline grounded in the 12-factor app principles. ## When NOT to use rig - Avoid using Rig if you are working on applications that do not require or support Rust as it is specifically built to facilitate LLM operations within a Rust environment. - Rig may not be suitable if your project cannot handle potential breaking changes, which are expected due to its rapidly evolving nature and upcoming feature updates. ## When NOT to use 12-factor-agents - If your project requires languages other than TypeScript or if your application already has a strong foundation not necessarily aligning with the 12-factor app principles. - When you’re looking for comprehensive deployment automation tools rather than guidance on building LLM-powered agents and ensuring their reliability in production environments. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between rig and 12-factor-agents? rig: Build modular and scalable LLM Applications in Rust. 12-factor-agents: Principles for building production-ready LLM-powered software. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose rig over 12-factor-agents? Choose rig over 12-factor-agents when rig is primarily Rust; 12-factor-agents is TypeScript; License: rig is MIT, 12-factor-agents is Other; Self-hosted as a Rust library; Pricing: Free to use under MIT license with potential premium support options.; Tags unique to rig: agent, artificial-intelligence, automation, generative-ai; You should use Rig when you need to work with LLM applications in Rust and want full WASM (core library) compatibility. ### When should I choose 12-factor-agents over rig? Choose 12-factor-agents over rig when 12-factor-agents is primarily TypeScript; rig is Rust; License: 12-factor-agents is Other, rig is MIT; Pricing: Free to use with open-source licenses; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires a solid understanding of TypeScript and familiarity with concepts like prompt engineering and context window management.; Tags unique to 12-factor-agents: 12-factor, agents, context-window, framework; You are specifically developing AI agents or LLM-powered applications in TypeScript and need a structured guideline grounded in the 12-factor app principles. ### When should I avoid rig? Avoid using Rig if you are working on applications that do not require or support Rust as it is specifically built to facilitate LLM operations within a Rust environment. Rig may not be suitable if your project cannot handle potential breaking changes, which are expected due to its rapidly evolving nature and upcoming feature updates. ### When should I avoid 12-factor-agents? If your project requires languages other than TypeScript or if your application already has a strong foundation not necessarily aligning with the 12-factor app principles. When you’re looking for comprehensive deployment automation tools rather than guidance on building LLM-powered agents and ensuring their reliability in production environments. ### Is rig or 12-factor-agents more popular on GitHub? 12-factor-agents has more GitHub stars (25,353 vs 8,679). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are rig and 12-factor-agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (rig: MIT, 12-factor-agents: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to rig or 12-factor-agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [rig alternatives](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig/alternatives) and [12-factor-agents alternatives](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/alternatives) ([rig markdown twin](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig/alternatives.md), [12-factor-agents markdown twin](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/0xplaygrounds-rig-vs-humanlayer-12-factor-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, rig or 12-factor-agents? rig: Very active. 12-factor-agents: Slowing. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for rig and 12-factor-agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [rig trust report](/tools/0xplaygrounds-rig/trust); [12-factor-agents trust report](/tools/humanlayer-12-factor-agents/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=0xplaygrounds-rig`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=0xplaygrounds-rig) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_