Prowler
Prowler's assistant stopped explaining findings and started deciding what to do with them.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
Dashy vs Knock
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Dashy and Knock — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Dashy vs Knock: at a glance
| Feature | Dashy | Knock |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Infra & APIs | Infra & APIs |
| Velocity score | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 1 |
| Top themes | self-hosted-dashboard, widgets, oidc-auth, i18n | notification infrastructure, data sources, agent interface, workflow primitives |
| Last editorial update | 1d ago | 4h ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
What is Dashy?
After the 4.5.0 drag-and-drop release, Dashy has settled into translations and dependency patches
Dashy's 4.5.0 release was the substantive one — drag-and-drop editing of sections, items and widgets, a rebuilt GitHub stats widget on the official API, and richer number formatting in the custom-api widget. Everything since has been a single-PR patch release: two community translation contributions, three dependency bump batches, an out-of-memory fix from unclosed connection listeners, and OIDC post-logout redirect support. The tail is quiet by design rather than stalled.
What is Knock?
Knock is pulling every customer-data source into notifications, then putting an agent on top.
Knock is a notification infrastructure layer, and the last two months have gone into two things: widening what can trigger a workflow, and making the resulting data legible. Amplitude and Clay both landed as first-class data sources, so product events, cohort changes and enriched CRM rows now drive messaging directly rather than through customer-written glue. The workflow engine gained a wait-for-event primitive, and the template editor was rebuilt around block editing.
Dashy vs Knock: editorial side-by-side
Dashy
6.3INFRA · APIS
After the 4.5.0 drag-and-drop release, Dashy has settled into translations and dependency patches
◆ Current state
Dashy's 4.5.0 release was the substantive one — drag-and-drop editing of sections, items and widgets, a rebuilt GitHub stats widget on the official API, and richer number formatting in the custom-api widget. Everything since has been a single-PR patch release: two community translation contributions, three dependency bump batches, an out-of-memory fix from unclosed connection listeners, and OIDC post-logout redirect support. The tail is quiet by design rather than stalled.
◆ Where it's heading
The project is in the consolidation phase that follows a feature release, shipping one PR per version at a steady clip. Two threads still show forward motion: authentication is being rounded out, with OIDC post-logout redirects following the logout redirect option added in 4.5.0, and translation coverage is being filled in by contributors rather than maintainers. The widget system remains where the feature energy goes when it returns.
◆ Prediction
Expect the single-PR patch cadence to continue until enough widget or editing work accumulates for a 4.6 line. The OIDC additions suggest self-hosted single sign-on is the area most likely to see the next real feature.
Knock
6.3INFRA · APIS
Knock is pulling every customer-data source into notifications, then putting an agent on top.
◆ Current state
Knock is a notification infrastructure layer, and the last two months have gone into two things: widening what can trigger a workflow, and making the resulting data legible. Amplitude and Clay both landed as first-class data sources, so product events, cohort changes and enriched CRM rows now drive messaging directly rather than through customer-written glue. The workflow engine gained a wait-for-event primitive, and the template editor was rebuilt around block editing.
◆ Where it's heading
The shape is a product moving up from delivery mechanics toward the surrounding workflow. Sources reduce the integration code a customer writes before Knock is useful; the agent layer reduces the reporting work after. Category and tag management being pulled into dedicated dashboard pages is the housekeeping that follows: the primitives got numerous enough to need their own administration surface.
◆ Prediction
Expect the data-source list to keep growing along the same lines — warehouse and product-analytics tools that already hold the user state Knock needs — and for the agent to be given more of the dashboard's read surface.
Alternatives to Dashy and Knock
Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Dashy or Knock.
ESPHome
ESPHome's August beta opens while the July line keeps absorbing hardware fixes.
Cronicle
Cronicle has spent 2026 hardening the paths that let a scheduler run arbitrary commands
Merge
Merge is turning its weekly integration digest into an agent control plane — the news is always at the bottom.
Jackett
Jackett ships daily, and every release is trackers chasing sites that moved.
k0s
k0s keeps four Kubernetes branches patched in lockstep, one backport at a time.
Recent activity from Dashy and Knock
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoKnockCategory + tag management
- 2d agoDashyTraditional Chinese UI translations completed
- 6d agoDashyNine grouped dependency updates
- 7d agoKnockAmplitude data source
- 7d agoDashySingle dependency bump for fast-uri
- 10d agoDashyMissing German translations added
- 12d agoDashyOut-of-memory crash from unclosed secureConnect listeners fixed
- 13d agoDashyTwo grouped dependency updates
- 14d agoKnockAnalytics in the Knock agent ⚡
- 15d agoKnockWait for event function
- 16d agoKnockClay data source
- 21d agoKnockRedesigned template editor
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dashy and Knock?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Dashy and Knock are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Dashy better than Knock?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Dashy and Knock are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Dashy?
Top Dashy alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dashy alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dashy for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Knock?
Top Knock alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Knock alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/knock for the full list with editorial commentary on each.