# Kestra vs Node-RED

> Kestra scores 63.6 (B) to Node-RED's 61 (C) for workflow automation. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.md (~2,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.min.md (~580 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Kestra scores 63.6 (B) on agent readiness against Node-RED's 61 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Node-RED leads on security & auth and payments & pricing. Both do workflow automation.

- Kestra: grade B, 63.6/100, rank #387 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kestra.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kestra.json
- Node-RED: grade C, 61/100, rank #486 of 950. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/node-red.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/node-red.json
- Best workflow automation platforms with APIs for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/workflow-automation/index.md
- All 108 workflows comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/workflow-automation/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Kestra (B)

Good for: Engineering and data teams that want declarative YAML flows with scripts in any language, run on their own infrastructure.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 41
- Agent ergonomics, 73 against 44
- Maintenance & community, 93 against 81

Watch for: The open-source edition has one basic-auth username and password. API tokens, service accounts, RBAC and audit logs need Enterprise or Cloud

### Node-RED (C)

Good for: Owners who want event-driven flows on their own machine or device, with a large library of community nodes, and an agent that deploys or edits flows as JSON.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 51 against 41
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 50

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Kestra loses 7 points for them

Watch for: No OpenAPI file, `llms.txt` or SDK. The Admin API is documented as 20 hand-written pages on nodered.org


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Kestra | Node-RED | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 89 | 90 | Node-RED +1 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 41 | Kestra +41 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 73 | 44 | Kestra +29 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 41 | 51 | Node-RED +10 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 50 | 60 | Node-RED +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 93 | 81 | Kestra +12 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 69 | 65 | Kestra +4 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -7 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **63.6 · B** | **61 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Kestra | Node-RED |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Kestra Technologies | OpenJS Foundation |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 (open-source server and SDK repository). Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud are commercial | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-05 | 2026-10-08 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models |  |  |
| Terms restrict automated access |  |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  |  |
| Popularity | 29k stars, 244 npm/wk, 170 PyPI/wk | 24k stars, 55k npm/wk |

## Verdicts

**Kestra.** Kestra's open-source edition has a 216-operation OpenAPI spec, Markdown docs for agents and weekly patch releases on two long-term support lines. Its only credential is one basic-auth username and password with full access, and five critical advisories were published between March and September 2026, all fixed.

**Node-RED.** Node-RED's Admin HTTP API covers flows, nodes and settings in 20 documented methods, with read and write permissions per resource and a revision check on deploys. It has no OpenAPI file, no pagination and no SDK, and a default install accepts API calls from anyone who can reach port 1880.

## Before you call either

### Kestra

1. Run 2.0.5 or 1.3.42 or later. Earlier builds carry unauthenticated remote code execution advisories fixed in 1.3.38 and 2.0.3
2. Set `kestra.server.basic-auth` in the config file before first start. Without it the setup page is open to anyone who reaches the port
3. Put the tenant in the path. Open-source instances use `main`, as in `/api/v1/main/executions/{namespace}/{id}`
4. Send flow inputs as multipart form fields, and add `wait=true` to get the finished execution in the same call
5. Keep port 8081 off any shared network. The management endpoints there skip the API's basic auth

### Node-RED

1. Call `GET /auth/login` first. An empty object means no authentication is set and every Admin API call is open
2. Send `Node-RED-API-Version: v2` and the last `rev` on `POST /flows`, and re-read the flows on a 409
3. Set `Node-RED-Deployment-Type` to `nodes` or `flows` to restart only what changed. The default `full` stops every node
4. Prefer `GET /flow/:id` and `PUT /flow/:id` for one tab. `GET /flows` returns every node in the runtime
5. Treat `flows.write` and `nodes.write` as code execution on the host. Function nodes run JavaScript and `POST /nodes` installs npm modules

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Kestra or Node-RED?

Kestra scores 63.6 (B) on agent readiness against Node-RED's 61 (C), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Node-RED leads on security & auth and payments & pricing.

### Do Kestra and Node-RED need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Kestra and Node-RED without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Kestra. No hosted endpoint is listed for Node-RED.

### Are Kestra and Node-RED open source?

Yes. Kestra is open source (Apache-2.0 (open-source server and SDK repository). Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud are commercial). Node-RED is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kestra-vs-node-red.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "kestra", "b": "node-red"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare kestra node-red`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kestra.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/node-red.json

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