head to head · open source
parcel vs build-server-protocol
parcel has 44,009 GitHub stars, 2,424 forks, 606 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. build-server-protocol has 554 stars, 74 forks, 40 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. parcel leads on adoption by 7,844% (44,009 vs 554 stars). parcel is written in JavaScript under MIT; build-server-protocol is written in Scala under Apache-2.0. parcel has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, build-server-protocol 13%. parcel was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (build-tool), 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
| parcel | build-server-protocol | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 554 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Scala |
| Last push | 2026-10-31 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 74 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick parcel if
- You weight community size — 44K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick build-server-protocol if
- You want the build-server-protocol feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Scala
- You evaluated both and build-server-protocol fits your workflow better
About parcel
Parcel is a zero configuration build tool for the web. It combines a great out of the box development experience with a scalable architecture that can take your project from just getting started to massive production application. Features 😍 Zero config – Parcel supports many languages and file types out of the box, from web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to assets like images, fonts, videos, and more. It has a built in dev server with hot reloading, beautiful error diagnostics, and much more. No configuration needed! ⚡️ Lightning fast – Parcel's JavaScript compiler is written in Rust for native…
read the full parcel overview →
About build-server-protocol
Build Server Protocol This project is an effort to improve the integration between language server/editors and build tools. This effort is led by the Scala Center together with the help of other tooling developers in the Scala ecosystem and beyond. Even though the protocol currently focuses on Scala developer tools, it's designed to be language agnostic. You can read the specification here. The specification text, docs and support libraries for some of the supported languages are automatically generated from the smithy model. Contribution If you'd like to contribute to the protocol, please check out our…
read the full build-server-protocol overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parcel or build-server-protocol more popular?
parcel has 44,009 GitHub stars and build-server-protocol has 554. parcel has the larger community by that measure.
Are parcel and build-server-protocol free?
Both are open source. parcel is licensed under MIT and build-server-protocol under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parcel and build-server-protocol?
parcel is written in JavaScript and build-server-protocol in Scala. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, parcel or build-server-protocol?
Choose parcel if you want the larger community (44,009 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose build-server-protocol if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.