Asopitech VS
openraft vs Alopex Chirps
openraft, the async Rust Raft library, and how Alopex Chirps builds on it and differs.
Updated: Oct 13, 2026
What openraft is
openraft is a Raft library that runs on Rust async runtimes. It is the consensus engine of the Databend meta-service cluster, and was derived from async-raft.
How it works
- Pluggable parts: the application implements log storage, the state machine and the network in the shapes openraft defines.
- Testing: according to the README, a deterministic simulation fuzzer and a Jepsen suite run in CI.
Main features
- Leader election, log replication, snapshots, membership changes, adding learners.
- Embeds directly in async Rust applications.
Limits
The README states that the API is not stable yet and that upgrades before 1.0 may contain incompatible changes. The network and storage are provided by the application.
How it differs from Alopex Chirps
Alopex Chirps uses openraft for Raft consensus. The consensus algorithm is the same.
openraft is the consensus engine and leaves communication and storage to the application. Alopex Chirps combines openraft with a QUIC transport with mutual TLS, log storage on alopex-core, and gossip membership. It adds a manager that runs many Raft groups together, chunked snapshot transfer, and a TSO that hands out increasing timestamps. Chirps pins the openraft version, so the application receives API changes in step with Chirps releases.
We recommend Alopex Chirps to use openraft consensus right away, with communication and membership included. Try it from the quickstart on GitHub.