head to head · open source
parse-server vs arc
parse-server has 21,409 GitHub stars, 4,807 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. arc has 676 stars, 52 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. parse-server leads on adoption by 3,067% (21,409 vs 676 stars). parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; arc is written in Go under AGPL-3.0. parse-server has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, arc 8%. arc was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| parse-server | arc | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 676 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 52 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick parse-server if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick arc if
- You want the arc feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and arc fits your workflow better
About parse-server
Parse Server is an open source backend, built for Node.js and the Express web application framework, that can be deployed to any infrastructure able to run Node.js and that serves applications written against the Parse Platform.
read the full parse-server overview →
About arc
Arc is an open, SQL native time series database, released under AGPL 3.0, for engineers and platform teams who need to keep full resolution telemetry from machines, services, vehicles, and devices and still query recent and historical data together in one system.
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or arc more popular?
parse-server has 21,409 GitHub stars and arc has 676. parse-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are parse-server and arc free?
Both are open source. parse-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and arc under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parse-server and arc?
parse-server is written in JavaScript and arc in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, parse-server or arc?
Choose parse-server if you want the larger community (21,409 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose arc if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.