head to head · open source
parcel vs retire.js
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars, 2,425 forks, 606 open issues and last shipped yesterday. retire.js has 4,199 stars, 441 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. parcel leads on adoption by 948% (44,008 vs 4,199 stars). parcel is written in JavaScript under MIT; retire.js is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. parcel has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, retire.js 11%. parcel was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (build-tool, javascript), 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 | retire.js | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 44K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 441 |
| 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 retire.js if
- You want the retire.js feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and retire.js 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 retire.js
Retire.js What you require you must also retire There is a vast ecosystem of JavaScript libraries available for both web and Node.js applications. While these libraries significantly accelerate development, they also require ongoing maintenance to ensure security vulnerabilities are addressed promptly. In 2013, “Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities” was added to the OWASP Top 10 list of critical security risks, highlighting the serious threat that outdated or insecure dependencies can pose to web applications. Retire.js was created to help developers identify JavaScript library versions with known…
read the full retire.js overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parcel or retire.js more popular?
parcel has 44,008 GitHub stars and retire.js has 4,199. parcel has the larger community by that measure.
Are parcel and retire.js free?
Both are open source. parcel is licensed under MIT and retire.js under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parcel and retire.js?
parcel is written in JavaScript and retire.js in JavaScript. 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 retire.js?
Choose parcel if you want the larger community (44,008 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose retire.js if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.