What is NATS used for?

NATS Server is a high-performance messaging server for distributed systems, microservices and edge devices, written in Go. It is a good fit for messaging between microservices, and edge and connected-device communication.

Yes. NATS is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nats-io/nats-server and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. NATS is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host NATS?

Yes. NATS can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to NATS?

Similar open-source tools in the Infrastructure & Containers category include Kubernetes, Claudie and Crane. SaaS products in the same category include Amazon ECS, Azure Container Apps and Amazon ECR.

Is NATS actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to NATS was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.15.0, published on 17 September 2026. The project has 21k stars on GitHub.

NATS: open-source infrastructure & containers

About NATS

NATS is a messaging system for connecting applications, services and devices, and nats-server is its Go implementation. It works as a message bus and queue for microservices and other distributed systems, and the server is a single lightweight program that runs in many different environments.

The server can run on-premise, in the cloud, at the edge and even on a Raspberry Pi. The project lists more than 40 client language implementations, so services written in different languages can talk to one another. NATS is part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and aims to simplify the design and operation of modern distributed systems.

NATS Server is free software under the Apache 2.0 license and is distributed through Docker images and GitHub releases. Repository topics point to uses in cloud-native microservices, connected vehicles and edge computing.

Key features

High-performance messaging server written in Go
Message bus and queue patterns
Over 40 client language libraries
Runs on-premise, in the cloud or at the edge
Small footprint that fits a Raspberry Pi
Docker images available

Good fit for

→Messaging between microservices
→Edge and connected-device communication

Built with: Go
Tags: messaging; message-queue; message-bus; microservices; cloud-native; edge-computing; golang; distributed-systems

NATS: questions and answers

What is NATS used for?: NATS Server is a high-performance messaging server for distributed systems, microservices and edge devices, written in Go. It is a good fit for messaging between microservices, and edge and connected-device communication.
Is NATS open source?: Yes. NATS is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at nats-io/nats-server and is written mainly in Go.
Is NATS free?: Yes. NATS is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host NATS?: Yes. NATS can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to NATS?: Similar open-source tools in the Infrastructure & Containers category include Kubernetes, Claudie and Crane. SaaS products in the same category include Amazon ECS, Azure Container Apps and Amazon ECR.
Is NATS actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to NATS was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v2.15.0, published on 17 September 2026. The project has 21k stars on GitHub.