#3737th of 102 in Backends, databases and hosting
dapr
Sidecar runtime for durable workflows, agents and distributed app APIs
- Stars
- 26.2k
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Last commit
- Nov 2026
- Last release
- Oct 2026
- Language
- Go
25,525 on 21 Apr 202626,186 on 10 Nov 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
Dapr runs as a sidecar next to your app and exposes building blocks over HTTP and gRPC: workflows with durable execution, service invocation with mTLS, state, pub/sub, actors, secrets, jobs and an LLM Conversation API. SDKs exist for .NET, Java, Python, Go, JavaScript/TypeScript and Rust. It is a CNCF graduated project written in Go, and it runs on Kubernetes, VMs or a laptop.
Who it is for: Platform and backend engineers building durable workflows or agents
Strengths
- Workflows resume from the last completed step after crashes, restarts or rolling deploys
- Sidecar model works from any language over HTTP and gRPC, with SDKs for six main languages
- Built-in mTLS, workload identity and deny-by-default access policies
- CNCF graduated; runs on Kubernetes, VMs, edge and air-gapped setups
Weaknesses
- Not an agent framework; agent logic still comes from your own code or another library
- Adds a sidecar and component configuration to every deployment
- Backing stores and brokers must be supplied and configured separately
- README gives no starter app, so setup follows the separate docs and quickstarts
What it needs
- no GPU
- Docker
- Needs State store and message broker of your choice, Kubernetes (optional)
- Models: LLMs via the Conversation API (providers unknown)
Quick answers
Is dapr open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license.
Can you run dapr with Docker?
Yes. Its repository has a Docker setup: a Dockerfile, a Compose file or a published image.
Also in Backends, databases and hosting
See all 102| Rank | Project | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | bunJavaScript and TypeScript runtime with bundler, test runner and package manager | 93 out of 100 |
| 2 | strapiHeadless CMS that generates REST and GraphQL APIs from content models | 92 out of 100 |
| 3 | traefikHTTP reverse proxy and load balancer that auto-discovers routes from orchestrators | 92 out of 100 |
| #4 | appwriteBackend with auth, databases, storage, functions and an MCP server for agents | 92 out of 100 |
| #5 | medusaNode.js commerce platform with modular products, carts, orders and payments | 92 out of 100 |