head to head · open source
opcode vs ccls
opcode has 22,424 GitHub stars, 1,714 forks, 332 open issues and last shipped 15 days ago. ccls has 4,090 stars, 280 forks, 194 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. opcode leads on adoption by 448% (22,424 vs 4,090 stars). opcode is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; ccls is written in C++ under Apache-2.0. opcode has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, ccls 7%. opcode 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
| opcode | ccls | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 22K | ★ 4.1K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C++ |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-07-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 280 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick opcode if
- You weight community size — 22K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ccls if
- You want the ccls feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You evaluated both and ccls fits your workflow better
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 →
About ccls
ccls is an open source C, C++, and Objective C language server for developers who want cross references, code hierarchies, completion, and semantic highlighting inside an LSP compatible editor.
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Frequently asked questions
Is opcode or ccls more popular?
opcode has 22,424 GitHub stars and ccls has 4,090. opcode has the larger community by that measure.
Are opcode and ccls free?
Both are open source. opcode is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ccls under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between opcode and ccls?
opcode is written in TypeScript and ccls 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, opcode or ccls?
Choose opcode if you want the larger community (22,424 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose ccls if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.