--- title: "ai-getting-started vs claude-mem" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started-vs-thedotmack-claude-mem" tools: ["a16z-infra-ai-getting-started", "thedotmack-claude-mem"] --- # ai-getting-started vs claude-mem *GraphCanon updated Jul 12, 2026* ## Verdict Pick ai-getting-started when ai-getting-started is primarily TypeScript; claude-mem is JavaScript; pick claude-mem when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; ai-getting-started is TypeScript. [ai-getting-started](https://ai-getting-started.com/) reports 4.1k GitHub stars, 663 forks, and 16 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 2024. [claude-mem](https://claude-mem.ai) has 87k stars, 7.5k forks, and 252 open issues, last pushed Jul 9, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-getting-started's repository](https://github.com/a16z-infra/ai-getting-started) and [claude-mem's repository](https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem). | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects, including image/text models, vector stores, auth, and deployment configs | Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent | | Stars | 4,141 | 86,816 | | Forks | 663 | 7,500 | | Open issues | 16 | 252 | | Language | TypeScript | JavaScript | | Adopt for | - | claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. | | Categories | Computer Vision, Inference & Serving, Vector Databases | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 688d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 16 | 252 | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Security scan | 31 low (31 low) | No lockfile | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/trust.md) | ## Shared compatibility - **Node.js**: [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) - Node.js runtime; [claude-mem](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem.md) - Node.js runtime ## Decision facts: claude-mem - **Requirements:** Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported. - **Adopt for:** claude-mem provides persistent context across sessions, leveraging AI to capture and compress agent activity. - **License detail:** Claude-Mem is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, allowing it to be freely used in a variety of development and production environments while maintaining clear licensing terms. ## Choose when ### Choose ai-getting-started if… - ai-getting-started is primarily TypeScript; claude-mem is JavaScript. - License: ai-getting-started is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to ai-getting-started: typescript. - Also covers Computer Vision, Vector Databases. - ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### Choose claude-mem if… - claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; ai-getting-started is TypeScript. - License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, ai-getting-started is MIT. - Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.. - Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-agents, ai-memory, chromadb, claude. - Also covers AI Agents. - When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ## 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 claude-mem - When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. - If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-getting-started and claude-mem? ai-getting-started: A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects, including image/text models, vector stores, auth, and deployment configs. claude-mem: Persistent Context Across Sessions for Every Agent. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-getting-started over claude-mem? Choose ai-getting-started over claude-mem when ai-getting-started is primarily TypeScript; claude-mem is JavaScript; License: ai-getting-started is MIT, claude-mem is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to ai-getting-started: typescript; Also covers Computer Vision, Vector Databases; ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. ### When should I choose claude-mem over ai-getting-started? Choose claude-mem over ai-getting-started when claude-mem is primarily JavaScript; ai-getting-started is TypeScript; License: claude-mem is Apache-2.0, ai-getting-started is MIT; Requirements: Requires Node.js v20.0.0 or higher.; Must have the latest version of Claude Code with plugin support.; Auto-installs Bun (JavaScript runtime and process manager) if not already present.; Requires uv (Python package for vector search), auto-installation supported.; Tags unique to claude-mem: ai-agents, ai-memory, chromadb, claude; Also covers AI Agents; When you require seamless and persistent context continuity between different session interactions with Claude Code or other supported agents. ### 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 claude-mem? When working in environments where Node.js v20.0.0 or higher cannot be installed, as claude-mem requires this version to operate. If your specific AI agent or tool does not integrate with the supported frameworks listed (e.g., Claude Code, OpenClaw), making context persistence ineffective for your workflow. ### Is ai-getting-started or claude-mem more popular on GitHub? claude-mem has more GitHub stars (86,816 vs 4,141). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-getting-started and claude-mem open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-getting-started: MIT, claude-mem: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-getting-started or claude-mem? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-getting-started alternatives](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives) and [claude-mem alternatives](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/alternatives) ([ai-getting-started markdown twin](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives.md), [claude-mem markdown twin](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/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-thedotmack-claude-mem.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 claude-mem? ai-getting-started: Dormant. claude-mem: Very active. 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 claude-mem? 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); [claude-mem trust report](/tools/thedotmack-claude-mem/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/_