Comparison
REST vs infinity
Verdict
Pick REST if rEST is a retrieval-based speculative decoding method for enhancing the efficiency of large language model inference, implemented in C under the Apache-2.0 license; pick infinity if infinity is a high-throughput, low-latency serving engine for text-embeddings, reranking models, CLIP, CLAP, and COLPAli, offering support for various hardware accelerators via CLI and Docker containers.
Markdown twin · REST alternatives · infinity alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
8views this month
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | REST | infinity |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Slowing (196d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Slowing (178d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Personal account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 18, 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
- REST
- REST: Retrieval-Based Speculative Decoding
- infinity
- High-throughput, low-latency serving engine for text-embeddings, reranking models, CLIP, CLAP, and COLPAli
Stars
- REST
- 220
- infinity
- 2.9k
Forks
- REST
- 17
- infinity
- 207
Open issues
- REST
- 15
- infinity
- 136
Language
- REST
- C
- infinity
- Python
Adopt for
- REST
- REST is a retrieval-based speculative decoding method for enhancing the efficiency of large language model inference, implemented in C under the Apache-2.0 license.
- infinity
- Infinity is a high-throughput, low-latency serving engine for text-embeddings, reranking models, CLIP, CLAP, and COLPAli, offering support for various hardware accelerators via CLI and Docker containers.
Persona
- REST
- -
- infinity
- -
Runtime
- REST
- -
- infinity
- -
License
- REST
- Apache-2.0
- infinity
- MIT
Last pushed
- REST
- Mar 5, 2026
- infinity
- Mar 24, 2026
Categories
- REST
- Inference & Serving
- infinity
- Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Days since push
- REST
- 196d
- infinity
- 178d
Open issues (now)
- REST
- 15
- infinity
- 136
Stars delta
- REST
- 0 (30d)
- infinity
- +35 (30d)
Open issues delta
- REST
- 0 (30d)
- infinity
- +6 (30d)
Owner type
- REST
- Organization
- infinity
- User
OSV dependency advisories
- REST
- Published findings
- infinity
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- REST
- Trust report
- infinity
- Trust report
Shared compatibility
- Python · REST: Python runtime · infinity: Python runtime
Choose REST if…
- REST is primarily C; infinity is Python.
- License: REST is Apache-2.0, infinity is MIT.
- Tags unique to REST: llm-inference, retrieval, speculative-decoding.
- Use REST when you need to improve the efficiency of large language model inference through retrieval-based speculative decoding.
When NOT to use REST
- Avoid REST if your project does not require improvements in the efficiency of large language model inference.
- Do not use REST if your project is not compatible with the C language or if you prefer a different license than Apache-2.0.
Choose infinity if…
- infinity is primarily Python; REST is C.
- License: infinity is MIT, REST is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to infinity: bert-embeddings, cpu, docker, gpu.
- Use Infinity when you need to serve text-embeddings and reranking models with high throughput and low latency, especially when you have access to hardware accelerators like GPUs or ROCm.
When NOT to use infinity
- Avoid using Infinity if you do not have access to hardware accelerators and prefer a lightweight solution, as the specialized Docker images for ROCm and ONNX-GPU are not built via CI/CD and may not be
- Do not use Infinity if you need a serving engine that is frequently updated via CI/CD, as some specialized Docker images are not automatically built and may require manual version pinning.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (FasterDecoding/REST) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (FasterDecoding/REST) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (FasterDecoding/REST) · observed Mar 5, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- GitHub stars (michaelfeil/infinity) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (michaelfeil/infinity) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (michaelfeil/infinity) · observed Mar 24, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: REST 220 · infinity 2.9k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between REST and infinity?
- REST: REST: Retrieval-Based Speculative Decoding. infinity: High-throughput, low-latency serving engine for text-embeddings, reranking models, CLIP, CLAP, and COLPAli. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose REST over infinity?
- Choose REST over infinity when REST is primarily C; infinity is Python; License: REST is Apache-2.0, infinity is MIT; Tags unique to REST: llm-inference, retrieval, speculative-decoding; Use REST when you need to improve the efficiency of large language model inference through retrieval-based speculative decoding.
- When should I choose infinity over REST?
- Choose infinity over REST when infinity is primarily Python; REST is C; License: infinity is MIT, REST is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to infinity: bert-embeddings, cpu, docker, gpu; Use Infinity when you need to serve text-embeddings and reranking models with high throughput and low latency, especially when you have access to hardware accelerators like GPUs or ROCm.
- When should I avoid REST?
- Avoid REST if your project does not require improvements in the efficiency of large language model inference. Do not use REST if your project is not compatible with the C language or if you prefer a different license than Apache-2.0.
- When should I avoid infinity?
- Avoid using Infinity if you do not have access to hardware accelerators and prefer a lightweight solution, as the specialized Docker images for ROCm and ONNX-GPU are not built via CI/CD and may not be Do not use Infinity if you need a serving engine that is frequently updated via CI/CD, as some specialized Docker images are not automatically built and may require manual version pinning.
- Is REST or infinity more popular on GitHub?
- infinity has more GitHub stars (2,942 vs 220). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are REST and infinity open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (REST: Apache-2.0, infinity: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to REST or infinity?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at REST alternatives and infinity alternatives (REST markdown twin, infinity 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, REST or infinity?
- REST: Slowing. infinity: 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 REST and infinity?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: REST trust report; infinity trust report.