head to head · open source
frontend vs IRremoteESP8266
frontend has 5,778 GitHub stars, 3,932 forks, 383 open issues and last shipped yesterday. IRremoteESP8266 has 3,661 stars, 945 forks, 105 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. frontend leads on adoption by 58% (5,778 vs 3,661 stars). frontend is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; IRremoteESP8266 is written in C++ under LGPL-2.1. frontend has attracted 68% as many forks as stars, IRremoteESP8266 26%. frontend was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (hacktoberfest, home-automation), 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
| frontend | IRremoteESP8266 | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 5.8K | ★ 3.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.9K | ⑂ 945 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frontend if
- You weight community size — 5.8K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick IRremoteESP8266 if
- You want the IRremoteESP8266 feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the LGPL-2.1 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and IRremoteESP8266 fits your workflow better
About frontend
Home Assistant Frontend This is the repository for the official Home Assistant frontend. View demo of Home Assistant More information about Home Assistant Frontend development instructions Development Initial setup: script/setup Development: Instructions Production build: pnpm build Gallery: cd gallery && script/develop gallery Frontend development Classic environment A complete guide can be found at the following link. It describes a short guide for the build of project. License Home Assistant is open source and Apache 2 licensed. Feel free to browse the repository, learn and reuse parts in your own projects…
read the full frontend overview →
About IRremoteESP8266
This library enables you to send and receive infra red signals on an ESP8266 or an ESP32 using the Arduino framework using common 940nm IR LEDs and common IR receiver modules. e.g. TSOP{17,22,24,36,38,44,48} demodulators etc. v2.9.0 Now Available Version 2.9.0 of the library is now available. You can view the Release Notes for all the significant changes. Upgrading from pre v2.0 Usage of the library has been slightly changed in v2.0. You will need to change your usage to work with v2.0 and beyond. You can read more about the changes required on our Upgrade to v2.0 page. Upgrading from pre v2.5 The library has…
read the full IRremoteESP8266 overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frontend or IRremoteESP8266 more popular?
frontend has 5,778 GitHub stars and IRremoteESP8266 has 3,661. frontend has the larger community by that measure.
Are frontend and IRremoteESP8266 free?
Both are open source. frontend is licensed under Apache-2.0 and IRremoteESP8266 under LGPL-2.1. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frontend and IRremoteESP8266?
frontend is written in TypeScript and IRremoteESP8266 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, frontend or IRremoteESP8266?
Choose frontend if you want the larger community (5,778 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose IRremoteESP8266 if its feature set, stack or LGPL-2.1 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.