head to head · open source
code-server vs lite-xl
code-server has 79,759 GitHub stars, 6,941 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. lite-xl has 6,502 stars, 328 forks, 330 open issues and last shipped yesterday. code-server leads on adoption by 1,127% (79,759 vs 6,502 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; lite-xl is written in Lua under MIT. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, lite-xl 5%. lite-xl was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | lite-xl | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 80K | ★ 6.5K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 328 |
| 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 lite-xl if
- You want the lite-xl feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and lite-xl 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 lite-xl
Lite XL [![CI]]( [![Discord Badge Image]]( ![screenshot dark] A lightweight text editor written in Lua, adapted from [lite]. [Get Lite XL] — Download for Windows, Linux and Mac OS. [Get plugins] — Add additional functionality, adapted for Lite XL. [Get color themes] — Add additional colors themes. Please refer to our [website] for the user and developer documentation, including [build] instructions details. A quick build guide is described below. Lite XL has support for high DPI display on Windows and Linux and, since 1.16.7 release, it supports retina displays on macOS. Please note that Lite XL is compatible…
read the full lite-xl overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or lite-xl more popular?
code-server has 79,759 GitHub stars and lite-xl has 6,502. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and lite-xl free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and lite-xl under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and lite-xl?
code-server is written in TypeScript and lite-xl in Lua. 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 lite-xl?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,759 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose lite-xl if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.