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pkgsrc VS helidon

Compare pkgsrc VS helidon and see what are their differences

pkgsrc logo pkgsrc

pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.

helidon logo helidon

Helidon Project, Java libraries crafted for Microservices
  • pkgsrc Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-30
  • helidon Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-28

pkgsrc features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    pkgsrc is designed to be a portable package management system and can be used on a variety of Unix-like operating systems, including NetBSD, Solaris, Linux, and macOS. This cross-platform capability makes it a versatile tool for developers working in diverse environments.
  • Consistency Across Systems
    Using pkgsrc allows for a consistent package management experience regardless of the underlying operating system, reducing the learning curve and maintenance overhead for administrators managing multiple systems.
  • Comprehensive Package Collection
    pkgsrc offers a wide range of software packages, providing a robust collection that can meet diverse user needs from scientific libraries to web applications.
  • Quarterly Releases
    With quarterly releases, pkgsrc provides a balanced approach between stability and keeping software up to date, offering users new features regularly while maintaining reliability.
  • Flexible Build Options
    pkgsrc supports a flexible build system, allowing users to customize package builds with specific options or dependencies, tailored to their specific needs or system requirements.

Possible disadvantages of pkgsrc

  • Smaller Community
    Compared to other popular package management systems like apt (Debian/Ubuntu) or yum (RedHat/CentOS), pkgsrc has a relatively smaller community, which might affect the availability of support and community-driven improvements.
  • Potentially Older Software
    While pkgsrc maintains stable quarterly releases, it may occasionally lag behind other systems in terms of offering the very latest versions of certain software, which might not be ideal for users needing the newest features.
  • Manual Configuration
    Setting up pkgsrc might require manual interventions and configurations, which could pose a hurdle for users unfamiliar with its setup process or those who prefer more automated solutions.
  • Dependency Management
    Although pkgsrc is quite capable in dependency handling, some users may find its dependency resolution to be less automatic or seamless compared to other systems which offer more integrated solutions.
  • Performance Overhead
    Because it is designed to be cross-platform, there can be some performance overhead associated with using pkgsrc compared to native package managers that are optimized for specific operating systems.

helidon features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Helidon is designed to be a lightweight framework, which makes it an excellent choice for microservices and applications where performance and resource utilization are critical.
  • Microservices Focus
    Helidon is crafted with microservices architecture in mind, offering features and support that align well with cloud-native development strategies.
  • Helidon SE and MP Options
    Helidon provides both Helidon SE (simple, functional style development) and Helidon MP (MicroProfile standard), giving developers the flexibility to choose the programming model that best fits their needs.
  • GraalVM Support
    Helidon has support for GraalVM native image, which can significantly reduce startup time and memory usage, benefiting deployment and execution in cloud environments.
  • Reactive Programming
    With Helidon SE, developers can easily create reactive applications using a non-blocking, asynchronous programming model.

Possible disadvantages of helidon

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established frameworks like Spring or Quarkus, Helidon's ecosystem of extensions, plugins, and third-party integrations is less extensive.
  • Smaller Community
    Helidon's community is not as large as some other Java microservices frameworks, which may mean fewer resources or community-driven support options are available.
  • Lack of Built-In Features
    While being lightweight is a benefit, it also means that Helidon might lack more comprehensive, built-in features that are found in larger frameworks, potentially requiring additional effort to implement common capabilities.
  • Newer in the Market
    Being a relatively newer framework, Helidon might not have as proven a track record or the same level of maturity and stability as older frameworks.

pkgsrc videos

pkgsrc on ChromeOS

More videos:

  • Review - Using pkgsrc for multi-platform deployments in heterogeneous environments, G Clifford Williams

helidon videos

From Zero to Hello - Helidon MP / MicroProfile

More videos:

  • Review - Everything you must know about Helidon | MicroStream Hackathon Weekly Q&A | Edition 4

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pkgsrc and helidon)
Developer Tools
74 74%
26% 26
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100
Package Manager
100 100%
0% 0
Front End Package Manager

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

helidon might be a bit more popular than pkgsrc. We know about 15 links to it since March 2021 and only 11 links to pkgsrc. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

pkgsrc mentions (11)

  • Debian isn't waiting for 2038 to blow up, switches to 64-bit time for everything
    > Most open source software packages are also compiled for BSD variants, they switched to 64 bit time_t a long time ago and reported back upstream any problems. * NetBSD in 2012: https://www.netbsd.org/releases/formal-6/NetBSD-6.0.html * OpenBSD in 2014: http://www.openbsd.org/55.html For packaging, NetBSD uses their (multi-platform) Pkgsrc, which has 29,000 packages, which probably covers a large swath of... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • Our Audit of Homebrew
    > https://pkgsrc.smartos.org/install-on-macos/ Note that Pkgsrc is a NetBSD-derived project. * https://pkgsrc.org The Joyent folks leveraged it to allow their customers, who were perhaps not as familiar with Solaris/SmartOS, a larger pool of packages. Pkgsrc was running on Solaris before Joyent, Joyent built on top of it. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Show HN: Brioche โ€“ A new Nix-like package manager
    Https://pkgsrc.org/ from netbsd runs on many systems. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Installing packages without an internet connection?
    It seems according to pkgsrc.org that pkgin might follow the PKG_PATH environment variable. You're supposed to set PKG_PATH="http://cdn.NetBSD.org/pub/pkgsrc/packages/NetBSD/$(uname -p)/$(uname -r|cut -f '1 2' -d.)/All/", and according to uname(1), -p gives the processor architecture and -r gives the operating system [kernel] release. Source: over 3 years ago
  • pkgsrc.se is no more :(
    It seems like pkgsrc.org hasnโ€™t got the news yet. Source: over 3 years ago
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helidon mentions (15)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing pkgsrc and helidon, you can also consider the following products

Conda - Binary package manager with support for environments.

Micronaut Framework - Build modular easily testable microservice & serverless apps

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

vert.x - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yay - Yay is an AUR helper written in go, based on the design of yaourt, apacman and pacaur.

Javalin - Simple REST APIs for Java and Kotlin