compare
cert-manager vs Certbot
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | cert-manager | Certbot |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Go | Python |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Stars | 14k | 33k |
| Latest | v1.21.2 | v5.8.0 |
| Last push | 2026-10-18 | 2026-10-17 |
| Release cadence | about 21 days between releases | about 38 days between releases |
| Active contributors | 30 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 8 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
cert-manager replaces Certbot. Alternatives to Certbot →
PartialIssues and renews ACME certificates for Kubernetes ingresses and services only.
cert-manager
- v1.20.42026-09-16cert-manager is the easiest way to automatically manage certificates in Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters.
- v1.21.22026-09-11cert-manager is the easiest way to automatically manage certificates in Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters.
- v1.21.12026-07-29cert-manager is the easiest way to automatically manage certificates in Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters.
- v1.21.02026-07-08cert-manager is the easiest way to automatically manage certificates in Kubernetes and OpenShift clusters.
- v1.21.0-beta.02026-07-01> [!NOTE]pre-release
cert-manager
✓ signed The latest release, v1.21.2, carries a signature GitHub verified.
Loading the security report
Certbot
unsigned The latest release, v5.8.0, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
Loading the security report