What is the main difference between Elasticsearch and OpenSearch?

Elasticsearch and OpenSearch are both search engines but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Elasticsearch or OpenSearch?

The choice between Elasticsearch and OpenSearch depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Elasticsearch to OpenSearch?

Migration between Elasticsearch and OpenSearch is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Elasticsearch vs OpenSearch

Learn how Elasticsearch and OpenSearch differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these search engines is best for you.

Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is an open-source, RESTful search engine designed for scalability, reliability, and easy management.

Visit Elasticsearch Read more

78,079stars+197(+0.3%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
22 hours ago
Repository age
17 years
Version
v9.5.4
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
elastic/elasticsearch

OpenSearch

Community-driven, Apache 2.0-licensed search and analytics suite for ingesting, searching, visualizing, and analyzing data at scale with AI/ML capabilities.

Visit OpenSearch Read more

13,785stars+180(+1.3%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
22 hours ago
Repository age
6 years
Version
3.8.0
License
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
opensearch-project/opensearch

Detailed Comparison

Both Elasticsearch and OpenSearch have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Elasticsearch wins

Community & Popularity

Elasticsearch significantly outpaces OpenSearch in community adoption with 78,079 stars compared to 13,785 stars on GitHub. This 5.7x difference suggests Elasticsearch has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Elasticsearch has 26,097 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

OpenSearch wins

Growth Momentum

OpenSearch is growing faster, adding 180 stars in the last 30 days (+1.3%) against adding 197 stars for Elasticsearch (+0.3%). OpenSearch is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Elasticsearch last updated 22 hours ago and OpenSearch 22 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash, Python, Java. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Elasticsearch uses JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, C, Objective-C, C++.

Elasticsearch wins

Project Maturity

Elasticsearch has been in development longer, starting 17 years ago, compared to OpenSearch which began 6 years ago. This 11.1-year head start suggests Elasticsearch may have more mature features and established processes.

OpenSearch wins

Licensing

OpenSearch is licensed under Apache-2.0, while Elasticsearch's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Search Engines. However, they also have distinct specializations: Elasticsearch also focuses on Log Management, NoSQL & Document Databases.

Comparable