No. 12 of 24 ·Schema Registry Software

Raystack Stencil

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Two barsScore 5.5

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Raystack Stencil is ranked #12 of 24 in schema registry software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows.

Compared on schema registry software

Schema formats: Protobuf, Avro, JSON Schema
Compatibility modes: backward, forward, full
Validation scope: event
Deployment options: self_hosted

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The record

Purpose: Stencil is a schema registry that manages and validates schemas to ensure data compatibility across applications.
Supported formats: Stencil supports Protobuf, Avro, and JSON formats.
Version history: Stencil stores versioned history of proto descriptor files by namespace and name.
Compatibility: Stencil enforces backward compatibility checks on upload by default and allows some checks to be skipped.
Descriptor downloads: Stencil provides an API to download fully contained proto descriptor files for a specified proto message.
Metadata API: Stencil provides a metadata API to retrieve the latest version number for a name and namespace.
Client languages: Official clients are supported for Java, Go, and JavaScript, with Clojure also listed among the client languages.
Client features: Clients can download descriptor set files, deserialize Protobuf encoded messages, look up proto descriptors, and refresh schema definitions using built-in strategies.
Server interfaces: The server provides REST access for storing and retrieving Protobuf file descriptors and the repository README also describes gRPC and HTTP APIs.
Deployment: Stencil can be run from a Docker image or compiled from source, and provides binaries and package-manager installation instructions for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Server requirement: The server documentation lists PostgreSQL 13 as a requirement.
Client refresh limitation: Refreshing a descriptor file only when a client encounters unknown fields is currently supported by the Java and Go clients.
License: The GitHub repository identifies the project as licensed under Apache-2.0.
Intended users: The introduction describes schema registries as a source of truth for schema definitions accessible to producers, consumers, developers, and other relevant parties.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Schema Registry Software in 2026#12 of 24

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Sources

raystack.github.io/stencil/docs/introduction/· checked 4 Oct 2026
raystack.github.io/stencil/· checked 4 Oct 2026
raystack.github.io/stencil/docs/server/overview/· checked 4 Oct 2026
raystack.github.io/stencil/docs/clients/overview/· checked 4 Oct 2026
raystack.github.io/stencil/docs/installation/· checked 4 Oct 2026
github.com/raystack/stencil· checked 4 Oct 2026