Comparison
kapitan vs containerpilot
Verdict
Pick kapitan if kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform; pick containerpilot if containerpilot is a Go-based tool by Joyent for application autodiscovery and configuration in container environments.
Markdown twin · kapitan alternatives · containerpilot alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
13views this month
vs
Trust & integrity
| Signal | kapitan | containerpilot |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active (9d since push) As of Sep 19, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Dormant (1095d since push) As of Sep 19, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 19, 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
- kapitan
- Generic templated configuration management for Kubernetes, Terraform
- containerpilot
- A service for autodiscovery and configuration of applications running in containers
Stars
- kapitan
- 1.9k
- containerpilot
- 1.1k
Forks
- kapitan
- 214
- containerpilot
- 135
Open issues
- kapitan
- 155
- containerpilot
- 43
Language
- kapitan
- Python
- containerpilot
- Go
Adopt for
- kapitan
- kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform.
- containerpilot
- Containerpilot is a Go-based tool by Joyent for application autodiscovery and configuration in container environments.
Persona
- kapitan
- -
- containerpilot
- -
Runtime
- kapitan
- -
- containerpilot
- -
License
- kapitan
- Apache-2.0
- containerpilot
- MPL-2.0
Last pushed
- kapitan
- Sep 9, 2026
- containerpilot
- Sep 20, 2023
Categories
- kapitan
- Developer Tools
- containerpilot
- Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- kapitan
- Active (82%)
- containerpilot
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- kapitan
- 9d
- containerpilot
- 1095d
Open issues (now)
- kapitan
- 155
- containerpilot
- 43
Stars delta
- kapitan
- +1 (30d)
- containerpilot
- -3 (30d)
Open issues delta
- kapitan
- +2 (30d)
- containerpilot
- 0 (30d)
Full report
- kapitan
- Trust report
- containerpilot
- Trust report
Choose kapitan if…
- kapitan is primarily Python; containerpilot is Go.
- License: kapitan is Apache-2.0, containerpilot is MPL-2.0.
- Tags unique to kapitan: aws-kms, declarative, devops, 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
Choose containerpilot if…
- containerpilot is primarily Go; kapitan is Python.
- License: containerpilot is MPL-2.0, kapitan is Apache-2.0.
- Tags unique to containerpilot: consul, containerpilot, containers, joyent.
- When integrating with the Triton Data Center ecosystem, since Containerpilot has strong ties to this environment and services like Consul that are prevalent within it.
When NOT to use containerpilot
- When your setup is heavily dependent on features not native to Containerpilot, such as advanced Kubernetes service mesh capabilities absent from this tool's feature set.
- If the MIT License or similar permissiveness is a requirement for your project, since Containerpilot is licensed under MPL-2.0 which has share-alike requirements.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (kapicorp/kapitan) · observed Sep 9, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (TritonDataCenter/containerpilot) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (TritonDataCenter/containerpilot) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (TritonDataCenter/containerpilot) · observed Sep 20, 2023
- License file (MPL-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: kapitan 1.9k · containerpilot 1.1k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between kapitan and containerpilot?
- kapitan: Generic templated configuration management for Kubernetes, Terraform. containerpilot: A service for autodiscovery and configuration of applications running in containers. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose kapitan over containerpilot?
- Choose kapitan over containerpilot when kapitan is primarily Python; containerpilot is Go; License: kapitan is Apache-2.0, containerpilot is MPL-2.0; Tags unique to kapitan: aws-kms, declarative, devops, gcp-kms; Integrating with existing workflows based on Helm, Kustomize, or CUE.
- When should I choose containerpilot over kapitan?
- Choose containerpilot over kapitan when containerpilot is primarily Go; kapitan is Python; License: containerpilot is MPL-2.0, kapitan is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to containerpilot: consul, containerpilot, containers, joyent; When integrating with the Triton Data Center ecosystem, since Containerpilot has strong ties to this environment and services like Consul that are prevalent within it.
- When should I avoid kapitan?
- Lack of requirement for managing secrets using multiple protocols Workflow does not benefit from integrating Helm, Kustomize, or CUE
- When should I avoid containerpilot?
- When your setup is heavily dependent on features not native to Containerpilot, such as advanced Kubernetes service mesh capabilities absent from this tool's feature set. If the MIT License or similar permissiveness is a requirement for your project, since Containerpilot is licensed under MPL-2.0 which has share-alike requirements.
- Is kapitan or containerpilot more popular on GitHub?
- kapitan has more GitHub stars (1,924 vs 1,128). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are kapitan and containerpilot open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (kapitan: Apache-2.0, containerpilot: MPL-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to kapitan or containerpilot?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at kapitan alternatives and containerpilot alternatives (kapitan markdown twin, containerpilot 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, kapitan or containerpilot?
- kapitan: Active. containerpilot: Dormant. 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 kapitan and containerpilot?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: kapitan trust report; containerpilot trust report.