head to head · open source
code-server vs dillinger
code-server has 79,786 GitHub stars, 6,937 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. dillinger has 8,297 stars, 1,162 forks, 157 open issues and last shipped 5 months ago. code-server leads on adoption by 862% (79,786 vs 8,297 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; dillinger is written in TypeScript under MIT. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, dillinger 14%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| code-server | dillinger | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 80K | ★ 8.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-07 | 2026-06-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 1.2K |
| 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 dillinger if
- You want the dillinger feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and dillinger fits your workflow better
About code-server
code server Run VS Code on any machine anywhere and access it in the browser. Highlights Code on any device with a consistent development environment Use cloud servers to speed up tests, compilations, downloads, and more Preserve battery life when you're on the go; all intensive tasks run on your server Requirements See requirements for minimum specs, as well as instructions on how to set up a Google VM on which you can install code server. TL;DR: Linux machine with WebSockets enabled, 1 GB RAM, and 2 vCPUs Getting started There are five ways to get started: 1. Using the install script, which automates most of…
read the full code-server overview →
About dillinger
Dillinger The last Markdown editor you'll ever need. A modern, cloud native Markdown editor built on Next.js — designed for speed, focus, and seamless sync. Get Started · Features · Integrations · Deploy ✨ Why Dillinger Most markdown editors are either: bloated offline only or lack serious developer ergonomics Dillinger fixes that. It combines: ⚡ VS Code grade editing ☁️ Native cloud storage 🧘 Distraction free UX 🔄 Real time rendering ⚡ Quick Start Open → 🧱 Requirements Node.js 18+ npm / yarn / pnpm / bun 🚀 Features Editor Experience Monaco Editor (VS Code core) Syntax highlighting for Markdown Image paste…
read the full dillinger overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More IDEs & Code Editors projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the IDEs & Code Editors field.
Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or dillinger more popular?
code-server has 79,786 GitHub stars and dillinger has 8,297. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and dillinger free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and dillinger under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and dillinger?
code-server is written in TypeScript and dillinger in TypeScript. 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 dillinger?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,786 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose dillinger if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.