head to head · open source
code-server vs opcode
code-server has 79,356 GitHub stars, 6,856 forks, 152 open issues and last shipped yesterday. opcode has 22,408 stars, 1,720 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped yesterday. code-server leads on adoption by 254% (79,356 vs 22,408 stars). code-server is written in TypeScript under MIT; opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. code-server has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, opcode 8%. 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 | opcode | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 79K | ★ 22K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.9K | ⑂ 1.7K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick code-server if
- You weight community size — 79K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick opcode if
- You want the opcode feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and opcode 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 opcode
opcode is an open source desktop GUI application and toolkit for Claude Code that provides a visual command centre for projects, sessions, custom agents, Model Context Protocol servers, checkpoints, and API usage, aimed at developers who already work with Claude Code from the command line and want a graphical layer over it.
read the full opcode overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is code-server or opcode more popular?
code-server has 79,356 GitHub stars and opcode has 22,408. code-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are code-server and opcode free?
Both are open source. code-server is licensed under MIT and opcode under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between code-server and opcode?
code-server is written in TypeScript and opcode 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 opcode?
Choose code-server if you want the larger community (79,356 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose opcode if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.