← Back to home
Comparison · DevOps

GraphHopper vs Apache Seata

A side-by-side editorial comparison of GraphHopper and Apache Seata — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

GraphHopper vs Apache Seata: at a glance

FeatureGraphHopperApache Seata
SectorDevOpsDevOps
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesrouting, openstreetmap, custom-models, navigationdistributed-transactions, apache-incubator, release-candidates, database-support
Last editorial update2h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is GraphHopper?

GraphHopper finished moving vehicle profiles into custom models, then went back to OSM tags.

GraphHopper ships a major roughly every six months, with 11.0 in October 2025 the most recent. The architectural work happened in 9.0, which moved vehicle encoded values into the custom model, removed the built-in vehicle parsers' name property and the wheelchair parsers, allowed external encoded values in custom models, and blocked built-in custom model filenames. 10.0 then spent itself on storage layout — byte-based edge storage, a Map-based KVStorage API, wider georef fields — and 11.0 is almost entirely OSM tag interpretation: maxspeed=none handling, separate foot and bike road access, cycleway oneway combinations, toll parsing moved into a country-aware parser.

Read the full GraphHopper trajectory →

What is Apache Seata?

Seata's first Apache release is stuck in a voting round, two years after its last shipped version.

The feed shows a two-year gap between three legacy releases explicitly labelled 'Not Apache release' and a 2.7.0 release candidate cut for incubator voting in August 2026. The candidate is a second round: the first was cancelled over NOTICE copyright and organisation issues, and the rebuild came from a fixed commit. Its note is careful to say the artefacts are not an Apache release until votes pass and are promoted. The pre-donation releases had added SQL Server AT mode support, Dameng and PolarDB-X databases, IPv6, and a restructured TCC integration layer.

Read the full Apache Seata trajectory →

GraphHopper vs Apache Seata: editorial side-by-side

G0.0

GraphHopper finished moving vehicle profiles into custom models, then went back to OSM tags.

◆ Current state

GraphHopper ships a major roughly every six months, with 11.0 in October 2025 the most recent. The architectural work happened in 9.0, which moved vehicle encoded values into the custom model, removed the built-in vehicle parsers' name property and the wheelchair parsers, allowed external encoded values in custom models, and blocked built-in custom model filenames. 10.0 then spent itself on storage layout — byte-based edge storage, a Map-based KVStorage API, wider georef fields — and 11.0 is almost entirely OSM tag interpretation: maxspeed=none handling, separate foot and bike road access, cycleway oneway combinations, toll parsing moved into a country-aware parser.

◆ Where it's heading

The configuration model is settled and the effort has moved to routing quality. Nearly every change in 11.0 is about reading OSM tags more faithfully for a specific mode — bicycle handling on living streets, foot instructions at junctions, MTB speeds on compacted surfaces, HGV tolls by country — which is the long tail of work that separates a routing engine that runs from one people trust. Turn restrictions are the recurring source of real bugs, appearing across 9.0, 10.0, 10.1 and 11.0 with via-way handling repeatedly needing correction. The new POST /navigate endpoint accepting a GraphHopper request is the one API-surface addition in this window.

◆ Prediction

Expect continued profile-level tuning driven by OSM tagging edge cases rather than architectural change, since three consecutive majors have narrowed in that direction. Turn restriction handling with multiple or overlapping via-ways is the most likely source of the next bugfix release, given its record across every version here.

A2.5

Seata's first Apache release is stuck in a voting round, two years after its last shipped version.

◆ Current state

The feed shows a two-year gap between three legacy releases explicitly labelled 'Not Apache release' and a 2.7.0 release candidate cut for incubator voting in August 2026. The candidate is a second round: the first was cancelled over NOTICE copyright and organisation issues, and the rebuild came from a fixed commit. Its note is careful to say the artefacts are not an Apache release until votes pass and are promoted. The pre-donation releases had added SQL Server AT mode support, Dameng and PolarDB-X databases, IPv6, and a restructured TCC integration layer.

◆ Where it's heading

Development has moved from feature work to the mechanics of donation. The visible energy is in NOTICE files, staging repositories and vote rounds rather than transaction semantics, which is the normal shape of an incubating project but leaves adopters on releases the project itself now disclaims. Nothing since 2024 has been generally available under either name.

◆ Prediction

The path from here is a vote outcome rather than a feature; the entries do not indicate whether round two passed.

Alternatives to GraphHopper and Apache Seata

Other DevOps 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 GraphHopper or Apache Seata.

See all GraphHopper alternatives → · See all Apache Seata alternatives →

Recent activity from GraphHopper and Apache Seata

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 7d agoApache SeataSecond voting round for the first Apache release candidate
  2. 9mo agoGraphHopper11.0 refines mode-specific OSM tag handling and adds POST /navigate
  3. 1y agoGraphHopper10.2 fixes an import failure on recent OSM turn restriction data
  4. 1y agoGraphHopper10.1 cherry-picks a via-way turn restriction fix
  5. 1y agoGraphHopper10.0 reworks edge storage layout and turn cost computation
  6. 1y agoApache SeataRollback and XA transaction fixes on the pre-donation line
  7. 1y agoApache SeataDameng and PolarDB-X 2.0 database support
  8. 1y agoApache SeataTCC moved to an integration layer; SQL Server and IPv6 support
  9. 2y agoGraphHopper9.1 is a bugfix release with no documented changes
  10. 2y agoGraphHopperVehicle profiles collapse into custom models in GraphHopper 9

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GraphHopper and Apache Seata?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Apache Seata is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is GraphHopper better than Apache Seata?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Apache Seata is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other DevOps products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to GraphHopper?

Top GraphHopper alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "GraphHopper alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/graphhopper for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Apache Seata?

Top Apache Seata alternatives in DevOps are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Apache Seata alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/seata for the full list with editorial commentary on each.