head to head · open source
parse-server vs bigfunctions
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars, 4,813 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. bigfunctions has 761 stars, 69 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. parse-server leads on adoption by 2,712% (21,397 vs 761 stars). parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; bigfunctions is written in Python under MIT. parse-server has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, bigfunctions 9%. parse-server 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 | bigfunctions | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 761 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-08-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 69 |
| 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 bigfunctions if
- You want the bigfunctions feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and bigfunctions 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…
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About bigfunctions
Supercharge BigQuery with BigFunctions 🔍️ 1. Supercharge BigQuery with BigFunctions 1. BigFunctions is a framework to build a governed catalog of BigQuery functions to supercharge BigQuery . 2. It also comes with 150+ functions built by the community that you can call directly (no install) or redeploy in YOUR catalog. 3. You can now perform any advanced data task, be it load, transform or take actions by running SQL commands in BigQuery. Learn more 👀 2. Call public BigFunctions without install from your GCP project All BigFunctions represented by a 'yaml' file in bigfunctions folder are deployed in public…
read the full bigfunctions overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or bigfunctions more popular?
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars and bigfunctions has 761. parse-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are parse-server and bigfunctions free?
Both are open source. parse-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and bigfunctions under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parse-server and bigfunctions?
parse-server is written in JavaScript and bigfunctions in Python. 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 bigfunctions?
Choose parse-server if you want the larger community (21,397 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose bigfunctions if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.