--- title: "kapitan vs containerpilot" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/kapicorp-kapitan-vs-tritondatacenter-containerpilot" tools: ["kapicorp-kapitan", "tritondatacenter-containerpilot"] --- # kapitan vs containerpilot *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## 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. [kapitan](https://kapitan.dev) reports 1.9k GitHub stars, 214 forks, and 155 open issues, last pushed Sep 9, 2026. [containerpilot](https://github.com/TritonDataCenter/containerpilot) has 1.1k stars, 135 forks, and 43 open issues, last pushed Sep 20, 2023. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [kapitan's repository](https://github.com/kapicorp/kapitan) and [containerpilot's repository](https://github.com/TritonDataCenter/containerpilot). | | [kapitan](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan.md) | [containerpilot](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Generic templated configuration management for Kubernetes, Terraform | A service for autodiscovery and configuration of applications running in containers | | Stars | 1,924 | 1,128 | | Forks | 214 | 135 | | Open issues | 155 | 43 | | Language | Python | Go | | Adopt for | kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform. | Containerpilot is a Go-based tool by Joyent for application autodiscovery and configuration in container environments. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | MPL-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [kapitan](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan.md) | [containerpilot](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 9d | 1095d | | Open issues (now) | 155 | 43 | | Stars delta | +1 (30d) | -3 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +2 (30d) | 0 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: kapitan - **Adopt for:** kapitan offers inventory-driven model, secrets management, support for multiple infrastructure systems, including Kubernetes and Terraform. ## Decision facts: containerpilot - **Adopt for:** Containerpilot is a Go-based tool by Joyent for application autodiscovery and configuration in container environments. ## Choose when ### 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 ### 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 kapitan - Lack of requirement for managing secrets using multiple protocols - Workflow does not benefit from integrating Helm, Kustomize, or CUE ## 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. ## 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](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan/alternatives) and [containerpilot alternatives](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot/alternatives) ([kapitan markdown twin](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan/alternatives.md), [containerpilot markdown twin](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot/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/kapicorp-kapitan-vs-tritondatacenter-containerpilot.md) 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](/tools/kapicorp-kapitan/trust); [containerpilot trust report](/tools/tritondatacenter-containerpilot/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kapicorp-kapitan`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kapicorp-kapitan) - 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/_