Apache OpenWhisk vs Quarkus

Apache OpenWhisk8.8Visit Quarkus8.6Visit

Higher score Apache OpenWhisk #3 in Serverless Development Frameworks 8.8/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 4 features Try Apache OpenWhisk

vs

Quarkus #5 in Serverless Development Frameworks 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Quarkus

• Apache OpenWhisk fits best

  Teams building portable event-driven functions

• Quarkus fits best

  Java teams building cloud-native applications and functions

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	Apache OpenWhisk 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Quarkus 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.6
Ranking	#3 in Serverless Development Frameworks	#5 in Serverless Development Frameworks
Best for	Teams building portable event-driven functions	Java teams building cloud-native applications and functions
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Integrations	7 integrations	6 integrations
Features Apache OpenWhisk 0/4 · Quarkus 0/4
Local testing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Application packaging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Kubernetes support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment rollback	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment targets	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Supported languages	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports triggers, rules, feeds, sequences, and synchronous or asynchronous actions Offers multiple language runtimes plus custom Docker runtimes Deploys locally or on Kubernetes and includes REST API access	Build for the JVM or as a native executable Live reload and continuous testing in development mode Generate Kubernetes resources and container images
Cons	Requires a self-managed deployment rather than a vendor-hosted paid service Management and deployment workflows center on the CLI and YAML manifests The published product details give limited development and deployment workflow guidance	No serverless-specific deployment workflow Deployment is self-hosted on infrastructure you select Support channels are community and documentation
Our verdict	Apache OpenWhisk is an open-source, distributed serverless platform for running functions in response to events or HTTP requests. Its model combines actions with triggers, rules, feeds, packages, and sequences, making it a fit for teams… Read the review →	Quarkus is an open-source framework for building cloud-native applications, aimed at Java and Kotlin teams working with JVM or native executable targets. It includes REST development, database access through Hibernate ORM and Panache,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache OpenWhisk — where it wins

  • Supports triggers, rules, feeds, sequences, and synchronous or asynchronous actions
  • Offers multiple language runtimes plus custom Docker runtimes
  • Deploys locally or on Kubernetes and includes REST API access

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-managed deployment rather than a vendor-hosted paid service
  • Management and deployment workflows center on the CLI and YAML manifests
  • The published product details give limited development and deployment workflow guidance

• Quarkus — where it wins

  • Build for the JVM or as a native executable
  • Live reload and continuous testing in development mode
  • Generate Kubernetes resources and container images

  Where it doesn't

  • No serverless-specific deployment workflow
  • Deployment is self-hosted on infrastructure you select
  • Support channels are community and documentation

• Apache OpenWhisk8.8/10 · Open source

  A portable, self-managed framework for event-driven functions, with Kubernetes and Docker support.

  Try Apache OpenWhiskFull verdict →
• Quarkus8.6/10 · Free plan

  An open-source Java and Kotlin framework with Kubernetes tooling, not a serverless deployment workflow.

  Visit QuarkusFull verdict →