head to head · open source
code-server vs clangd
code-server has 79,573 GitHub stars, 6,882 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped yesterday. clangd has 2,310 stars, 97 forks, 858 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. code-server leads on adoption by 3,345% (79,573 vs 2,310 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; clangd is written in Shell under Apache-2.0. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, clangd 4%. code-server was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ide), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| code-server | clangd | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 80K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-10-09 | 2026-10-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 97 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick code-server if
- You weight community size — 80K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick clangd if
- You want the clangd feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and clangd fits your workflow better
About code-server
code server is an MIT licensed TypeScript project from Coder that runs VS Code on a remote machine and serves the full editor in a browser, aimed at developers who want one consistent development environment reachable from any device.
read the full code-server overview →
About clangd
clangd is a language server that brings C++ IDE features to editors, aimed at developers writing C++ who want those features available in whatever editor they use.
read the full clangd overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or clangd more popular?
code-server has 79,573 GitHub stars and clangd has 2,310. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and clangd free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and clangd under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and clangd?
code-server is written in TypeScript and clangd in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, code-server or clangd?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,573 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose clangd if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.