--- title: "ai-getting-started vs drift" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started-vs-dadbodgeoff-drift" tools: ["a16z-infra-ai-getting-started", "dadbodgeoff-drift"] --- # ai-getting-started vs drift *GraphCanon updated Jul 12, 2026* ## Verdict Pick ai-getting-started when tags unique to ai-getting-started: typescript; pick drift when tags unique to drift: ai-tools, cli, code-quality, csharp. [ai-getting-started](https://ai-getting-started.com/) reports 4.1k GitHub stars, 663 forks, and 16 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 2024. [drift](https://github.com/dadbodgeoff/drift) has 780 stars, 64 forks, and 16 open issues, last pushed May 31, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-getting-started's repository](https://github.com/a16z-infra/ai-getting-started) and [drift's repository](https://github.com/dadbodgeoff/drift). | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [drift](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects, including image/text models, vector stores, auth, and deployment configs | Codebase intelligence for AI. Detects patterns & conventions + remembers decisions across sessions. MCP server for any IDE. Offline CLI. | | Stars | 4,141 | 780 | | Forks | 663 | 64 | | Open issues | 16 | 16 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | - | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | - | | Categories | Computer Vision, Inference & Serving, Vector Databases | Computer Vision, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [drift](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Steady (60%) | | Days since push | 688d | 40d | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Security scan | 31 low (31 low) | No MCP manifest | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift/trust.md) | ## Choose when ### Choose ai-getting-started if… - Tags unique to ai-getting-started: typescript. - Also covers Inference & Serving, Vector Databases. - ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### Choose drift if… - Tags unique to drift: ai-tools, cli, code-quality, csharp. - Also covers Developer Tools. - More recently updated (last pushed May 31, 2026). ## When NOT to use ai-getting-started - Last GitHub push was 689 days ago (dormant maintenance, Aug 21, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on ai-getting-started. - Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. - Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. ## When NOT to use drift - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-getting-started and drift? ai-getting-started: A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects, including image/text models, vector stores, auth, and deployment configs. drift: Codebase intelligence for AI. Detects patterns & conventions + remembers decisions across sessions. MCP server for any IDE. Offline CLI.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-getting-started over drift? Choose ai-getting-started over drift when Tags unique to ai-getting-started: typescript; Also covers Inference & Serving, Vector Databases; ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### When should I choose drift over ai-getting-started? Choose drift over ai-getting-started when Tags unique to drift: ai-tools, cli, code-quality, csharp; Also covers Developer Tools; More recently updated (last pushed May 31, 2026). ### When should I avoid ai-getting-started? Last GitHub push was 689 days ago (dormant maintenance, Aug 21, 2024). Validate activity before betting a new project on ai-getting-started. Inference & Serving: Self-hosting rarely beats a hosted API on cost until you have steady, high-volume traffic. Vector Databases: Don't reach for a dedicated vector DB under ~100k vectors; pgvector on your existing Postgres is simpler to operate. ### When should I avoid drift? Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ### Is ai-getting-started or drift more popular on GitHub? ai-getting-started has more GitHub stars (4,141 vs 780). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-getting-started and drift open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub. ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-getting-started or drift? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-getting-started alternatives](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives) and [drift alternatives](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift/alternatives) ([ai-getting-started markdown twin](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives.md), [drift markdown twin](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift/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/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started-vs-dadbodgeoff-drift.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-getting-started or drift? ai-getting-started: Dormant. drift: Steady. 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 ai-getting-started and drift? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-getting-started trust report](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/trust); [drift trust report](/tools/dadbodgeoff-drift/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=a16z-infra-ai-getting-started`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=a16z-infra-ai-getting-started) - 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/_