head to head · open source
parse-server vs arc
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars, 4,813 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. arc has 689 stars, 57 forks, 57 open issues and last shipped yesterday. parse-server leads on adoption by 3,006% (21,397 vs 689 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 | ★ 689 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 57 |
| 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
[ ][open collective link] [ ][open collective link] Parse Server is an open source backend that can be deployed to any infrastructure that can run Node.js. Parse Server works with the Express web application framework. It can be added to existing web applications, or run by itself. The full documentation for Parse Server is available in the wiki. The Parse Server guide is a good place to get started. An API reference and Cloud Code guide are also available. If you're interested in developing for Parse Server, the Development guide will help you get set up. A big thank you 🙏 to our sponsors and backers who…
read the full parse-server overview →
About arc
Arc Open, SQL native time series database for telemetry you need to keep. Arc ingests 34M+ records/sec, stores data as standard Parquet on infrastructure you own, and lets you query recent and historical data together. InfluxDB Line Protocol and Telegraf compatible. Single binary. AGPL 3.0. Prefer a UI? Arc Launchpad is a self hosted web console for the Arc instances you run — SQL console, schema explorer, logs, monitoring, and management for tokens, retention, alerts, continuous queries, and MQTT ingestion. Deploy it alongside Arc with Docker Compose. Docs. Prefer a terminal? arcli is the Arc command line —…
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or arc more popular?
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars and arc has 689. 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 (21,397 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.