Drools vs OpenL Tablets
Drools
kie.apache.org
OpenL Tablets
openl-tablets.orgSide by side
| Figure | Drools | OpenL Tablets |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Business Rules Management Software | 8.0 (#6) | 7.4 (#13) |
| Integrations | Drools rules can be called directly by a BPMN business rule task in jBPM within the same service. | The product describes Maven and Java integration, Java wrappers, and exposing rules as services; Rule Services can execute rules through REST and Kafka. |
| Purpose | Drools is a forward-chaining and backward-chaining inference-based rule engine used to build expert systems. | OpenL Tablets is an open-source business rules engine and decision management system. |
| Rule authoring | Rules can also be expressed through Excel decision tables, rule templates, or a Java executable model API. | Users can create decision, lookup, spreadsheet calculation, decision tree, and algorithm tables. |
| Security | The Apache Security Team coordinates handling of Apache project vulnerabilities and encourages private reports before public disclosure. | Role-based access control provides fine-grained policies for access to rules assets and operations on them. |
| Support | The project lists a users mailing list and Zulip chat as community contact channels. | The maker points users to documentation, videos, a forum, and a contact page for help. |
Plans
In their own words
Drools
Drools is a free, open-source rule engine for building expert systems with forward- and backward-chaining inference. Its DMN engine supports Conformance level 3, covering the features in that standard, and can statically analyze decision tables for gaps and overlaps. For event processing, it reasons over streams using temporal operators, sliding windows, and event expiration. Developers can define rules in DRL text files alongside Java code, or use Excel decision tables, rule templates, or a Java executable model API. Rule units organize rules with typed containers for input data, and Kogito can generate REST endpoints from them. Drools rules can also be called by a BPMN business rule task in jBPM within the same service. Apache KIE states that the DMN engine passes 99.9% of DMN TCK tests as of version 10.2.0. The project is available for API, Linux, and self-hosted use at free. Getting started requires an IDE, JDK 21 or 17, and Maven 3.9 or later. Apache KIE is undergoing incubation and has not yet been fully endorsed by the ASF.
OpenL Tablets
OpenL Tablets is a business rules engine and decision management system that uses structured Excel tables as executable application logic. It supports Excel formats dating back to Excel 97, with tables for decisions, lookups, spreadsheet calculations, decision trees, and algorithms. OpenL Studio provides a web interface for editing and managing rules, including guided authoring, inline cell editing, and type-safe checks that point to errors. Rules can run as REST services, Kafka consumers or producers, or providers for Java interfaces; they can also be used in Maven projects and work with Java classes and methods. The repository can use Git, databases, and blob storage, with versions, metadata, WebDAV access, and role-based permissions. Analysis tools include tracing, explanations, tests, benchmarks, what-if analysis, and checks for gaps and overlaps. Deployment features include effective and expiration dates, staging, consistency checks, and live updates. The free demo bundle runs in single-user mode and includes a local Git repository with examples and tutorials.