Comparison
atmos vs kapitan
Verdict
Pick atmos if atmos is a Terraform orchestration tool for DevOps written in Go. It supports hierarchical imports and inheritance to keep environment configuration DRY; pick kapitan if kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform.
Markdown twin · atmos alternatives · kapitan alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 19, 2026
11views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | atmos | kapitan |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Aug 11, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Active (9d since push) As of Sep 19, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Aug 11, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 19, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- atmos
- Terraform Orchestration Tool for DevOps using Go
- kapitan
- Generic templated configuration management for Kubernetes, Terraform
Stars
- atmos
- 1.4k
- kapitan
- 1.9k
Forks
- atmos
- 174
- kapitan
- 214
Open issues
- atmos
- 304
- kapitan
- 155
Language
- atmos
- Go
- kapitan
- Python
Adopt for
- atmos
- Atmos is a Terraform orchestration tool for DevOps written in Go. It supports hierarchical imports and inheritance to keep environment configuration DRY.
- kapitan
- kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform.
Persona
- atmos
- -
- kapitan
- -
Runtime
- atmos
- -
- kapitan
- -
License
- atmos
- Apache-2.0
- kapitan
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- atmos
- Aug 11, 2026
- kapitan
- Sep 9, 2026
Categories
- atmos
- Developer Tools
- kapitan
- Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- atmos
- Very active (96%)
- kapitan
- Active (82%)
Days since push
- atmos
- 0d
- kapitan
- 9d
Open issues (now)
- atmos
- 304
- kapitan
- 155
Stars delta
- atmos
- Unknown
- kapitan
- +1 (30d)
Open issues delta
- atmos
- Unknown
- kapitan
- +2 (30d)
Full report
- atmos
- Trust report
- kapitan
- Trust report
Choose atmos if…
- atmos is primarily Go; kapitan is Python.
- Tags unique to atmos: automation, cli, cloud, hcl2.
- When you need a tool that supports both Terraform and Helmfile natively, allowing for streamlined management of infrastructure as code with rich inheritance capabilities.
When NOT to use atmos
- Avoid using Atmos if you are looking for a solution that supports a wider range of infrastructure definition languages beyond Terraform and Helmfile.
- Not suitable for those who require extensive UI features, as it primarily focuses on CLI operations and automated DRY configurations.
Choose kapitan if…
- kapitan is primarily Python; atmos is Go.
- Tags unique to kapitan: aws-kms, declarative, docker, gcp-kms.
- Integrating with existing workflows based on Helm, Kustomize, or CUE
When NOT to use kapitan
- Lack of requirement for managing secrets using multiple protocols
- Workflow does not benefit from integrating Helm, Kustomize, or CUE
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (cloudposse/atmos) · observed Aug 11, 2026
- GitHub forks (cloudposse/atmos) · observed Aug 11, 2026
- Last push (cloudposse/atmos) · observed Aug 11, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Aug 11, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 19, 2026
- GitHub forks (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 19, 2026
- Last push (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 9, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 19, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: atmos 1.4k · kapitan 1.9k (synced Aug 11, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between atmos and kapitan?
- atmos: Terraform Orchestration Tool for DevOps using Go. kapitan: Generic templated configuration management for Kubernetes, Terraform. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose atmos over kapitan?
- Choose atmos over kapitan when atmos is primarily Go; kapitan is Python; Tags unique to atmos: automation, cli, cloud, hcl2; When you need a tool that supports both Terraform and Helmfile natively, allowing for streamlined management of infrastructure as code with rich inheritance capabilities.
- When should I choose kapitan over atmos?
- Choose kapitan over atmos when kapitan is primarily Python; atmos is Go; Tags unique to kapitan: aws-kms, declarative, docker, gcp-kms; Integrating with existing workflows based on Helm, Kustomize, or CUE.
- When should I avoid atmos?
- Avoid using Atmos if you are looking for a solution that supports a wider range of infrastructure definition languages beyond Terraform and Helmfile. Not suitable for those who require extensive UI features, as it primarily focuses on CLI operations and automated DRY configurations.
- When should I avoid kapitan?
- Lack of requirement for managing secrets using multiple protocols Workflow does not benefit from integrating Helm, Kustomize, or CUE
- Is atmos or kapitan more popular on GitHub?
- kapitan has more GitHub stars (1,924 vs 1,352). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are atmos and kapitan open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (atmos: Apache-2.0, kapitan: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to atmos or kapitan?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at atmos alternatives and kapitan alternatives (atmos markdown twin, kapitan markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, atmos or kapitan?
- atmos: Very active. kapitan: 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 atmos and kapitan?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: atmos trust report; kapitan trust report.