# Kemal

Web framework for Crystal for building web applications and APIs, with routing, middleware, JSON handling and WebSocket support.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/kemal/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-26
Listed since: 2026-10-26

## Record

### Links

- home: https://kemalcr.com
- repository: https://github.com/kemalcr/kemal
- docs: https://kemalcr.com/guide/
- x: https://twitter.com/crystalkemal
- discord: https://discord.gg/prSVAZJEpz

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Serdar Doğruyol
- maintainerType: unknown
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2015
- hqCountry: unknown

### Kind

- category: framework
- hosting: binary
- language: crystal
- runtime: binary
- runtimeMin: unknown
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: unknown
- databases: unknown
- adminUi: unknown
- headlessApi: unknown
- templating: ecr
- i18n: unknown

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: always-on
- renderingModes: unknown
- installMethod: shards dependency, then shards install

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: MIT

### Releases

- currentMajor: 1
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-17

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 3929
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 81
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://kemalcr.com (read 2026-10-26)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal (read 2026-10-26)
- urls: https://kemalcr.com/guide/ (read 2026-10-26)
- maintainer: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kemalcr/kemal/master/LICENSE (read 2026-10-26)
- firstRelease: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal/releases (read 2026-10-26)
- category: https://github.com/kemalcr/kemal/blob/master/README.md (read 2026-10-26)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal/languages (read 2026-10-26)
- runtime: https://github.com/kemalcr/kemal/blob/master/shard.yml (read 2026-10-26)
- installMethod: https://kemalcr.com/guide/ (read 2026-10-26)
- templating: https://github.com/kemalcr/kemal/blob/master/README.md (read 2026-10-26)
- license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kemalcr/kemal/master/LICENSE (read 2026-10-26)
- licenseModel: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kemalcr/kemal/master/LICENSE (read 2026-10-26)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal/releases (read 2026-10-26)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal/releases (read 2026-10-26)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal (read 2026-10-26)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/kemalcr/kemal/contributors (read 2026-10-26)
- runsAs: https://kemalcr.com/guide/ (read 2026-10-26)

## Notes

Kemal is a web framework written in Crystal, which compiles to native code. Its README describes a built-in ECR template engine, and its guide adds the project to an application through a shard.yml dependency that shards install fetches. A built application is a compiled binary, and the guide shows managing it as a systemd service.

The README's FAQ names Sinatra, Flask and Express when it explains how Kemal differs from them.

## Worth knowing

The README badge and shard.yml state different Crystal requirements.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0