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Comparison · Infra & APIs

Depot vs NetBox

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Depot and NetBox — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Depot vs NetBox: at a glance

FeatureDepotNetBox
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score6.36.3
Sparks · 30d11
Top themesci-cd, build-acceleration, test-intelligence, git-hostingdcim, cooling, liquid-cooling, breaking-changes
Last editorial update5d ago5h ago
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What is Depot?

Depot keeps absorbing the CI stack — tests, networking, runners, now its own git host.

Depot has moved well past build caching. Test results reached general availability in July with org-wide flaky, slow, and recurring failure analytics plus timing-based shard splitting; Sherlock's AI analysis became available on any run rather than only failed ones; and CI jobs can join a Tailscale tailnet to reach private services. The runner fleet now defaults to macOS 26 on M4 hardware, Depot CI understands GitHub stacked pull requests, and Depot Code — a diskless git server backed by blob storage — entered private beta.

Read the full Depot trajectory →

What is NetBox?

NetBox adds a cooling data model — the first new infrastructure domain since power

After a 4.6 patch cycle spent almost entirely on GraphQL query cost and permission correctness, NetBox has opened its 4.7 line with a beta that is the opposite kind of release. It introduces cooling infrastructure as a first-class modeling domain, migrates nested group models off django-mptt onto a PostgreSQL ltree column, replaces the Service protocol/ports fields with a unified port_mappings structure, and raises the floor to PostgreSQL 15 and Redis 6. The breaking-change list runs longer than most NetBox releases run in total.

Read the full NetBox trajectory →

Depot vs NetBox: editorial side-by-side

D
Depot
INFRA · APIS
6.3

Depot keeps absorbing the CI stack — tests, networking, runners, now its own git host.

◆ Current state

Depot has moved well past build caching. Test results reached general availability in July with org-wide flaky, slow, and recurring failure analytics plus timing-based shard splitting; Sherlock's AI analysis became available on any run rather than only failed ones; and CI jobs can join a Tailscale tailnet to reach private services. The runner fleet now defaults to macOS 26 on M4 hardware, Depot CI understands GitHub stacked pull requests, and Depot Code — a diskless git server backed by blob storage — entered private beta.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern is absorbing each adjacent piece of the pipeline that Depot's position already gives it data about. It runs the builds, so it owns test timing, so it can balance shards; it runs the jobs, so it can diagnose them; it hosts the runners, so it can wire private networking into them. Depot Code extends the same logic upstream to source hosting, which would close the loop between repository and runner. A quieter parallel thread keeps moving SDK- and dashboard-only settings into the CLI, stated explicitly as making projects configurable by agents and scripts.

◆ Prediction

Depot Code widening past private beta and binding more tightly to CI is the move the rest of the window sets up. The test work is also positioned to go from reporting to selection — skipping tests a change cannot affect — since Depot now holds the timing and failure history that would require, though the entries stop short of saying so.

N
NetBox
INFRA · APIS
6.3

NetBox adds a cooling data model — the first new infrastructure domain since power

◆ Current state

After a 4.6 patch cycle spent almost entirely on GraphQL query cost and permission correctness, NetBox has opened its 4.7 line with a beta that is the opposite kind of release. It introduces cooling infrastructure as a first-class modeling domain, migrates nested group models off django-mptt onto a PostgreSQL ltree column, replaces the Service protocol/ports fields with a unified port_mappings structure, and raises the floor to PostgreSQL 15 and Redis 6. The breaking-change list runs longer than most NetBox releases run in total.

◆ Where it's heading

The cooling model is deliberately shaped as a mirror of the existing power model — CoolingSource and CoolingFeed parallel PowerPanel and PowerFeed, CoolingIntake and CoolingOutflow parallel PowerPort and PowerOutlet, with CDUs and manifolds modeled as ordinary devices carrying those components. That symmetry says NetBox intends liquid cooling to be documented with the same rigor as power distribution, not bolted on as attributes. Underneath it, the ltree migration and the deferred search-index rebuild continue the performance thread of 4.6 by other means: instead of trimming queries inside the ORM, 4.7 is changing what the ORM sits on.

◆ Prediction

Expect at least one more 4.7 beta or release candidate before general availability, with the deprecated NestedGroupModel base class and the retained protocol/ports API fields the most likely sources of follow-up fixes as plugins migrate.

Alternatives to Depot and NetBox

Other Infra & APIs products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Depot or NetBox.

See all Depot alternatives → · See all NetBox alternatives →

Recent activity from Depot and NetBox

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoNetBoxNetBox 4.7 beta models cooling plant the way it models power
  2. 7d agoNetBoxGraphQL N+1 fixes and permission corrections in 4.6.8
  3. 9d agoDepotmacOS 26 is now the default macOS version for GitHub Actions runners
  4. 15d agoNetBox4.6.8 release candidate refreshes translation strings
  5. 16d agoDepotDepot CI now supports native GitHub stacked pull requests
  6. 19d agoDepotSet cache retention when creating a project with --cache-policy-keep-days
  7. 19d agoNetBox4.6.7 trims GraphQL and scope-rebuild query overhead
  8. 20d agoDepotView and edit project details from the Depot CLI
  9. 21d agoDepotTest results are now generally available
  10. 21d agoNetBoxCluster-scoped VLANs, tag "any" lookup, audit-trail hardening
  11. 29d agoDepotAI analysis available for all Depot CI workflows and jobs
  12. 1mo agoNetBoxMDC connectors, script-module REST updates, Korean support

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Depot and NetBox?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Depot and NetBox are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Depot better than NetBox?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Depot and NetBox are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Depot?

Top Depot alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Depot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/depot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to NetBox?

Top NetBox alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "NetBox alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/netbox for the full list with editorial commentary on each.