head to head · open source
code-server vs NetPad
code-server has 79,576 GitHub stars, 6,882 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. NetPad has 2,278 stars, 132 forks, 63 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. code-server leads on adoption by 3,393% (79,576 vs 2,278 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; NetPad is written in C# under MIT. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, NetPad 6%. 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 | NetPad | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 80K | ★ 2.3K |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-10-09 | 2026-08-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 132 |
| 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 NetPad if
- You want the NetPad feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and NetPad 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 NetPad
NetPad is an open source, cross platform C editor and playground for developers who want to run C snippets instantly without creating and managing projects.
read the full NetPad overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or NetPad more popular?
code-server has 79,576 GitHub stars and NetPad has 2,278. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and NetPad free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and NetPad under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and NetPad?
code-server is written in TypeScript and NetPad in C#. 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 NetPad?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,576 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose NetPad if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.