head to head · open source
parse-server vs cloudserver
parse-server has 21,408 GitHub stars, 4,806 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped yesterday. cloudserver has 1,950 stars, 260 forks, 113 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. parse-server leads on adoption by 998% (21,408 vs 1,950 stars). parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; cloudserver is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0. parse-server has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, cloudserver 13%. parse-server was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (nodejs), 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
| parse-server | cloudserver | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 1.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-24 | 2026-09-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 260 |
| 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 cloudserver if
- You want the cloudserver 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 cloudserver 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 cloudserver
Zenko CloudServer is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed Node.js object storage server that presents the Amazon S3 protocol on the front end and writes to multiple back ends, including Azure and Google, and it is built for developers who need S3 compatible storage running locally, on premise, or in a public cloud.
read the full cloudserver overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or cloudserver more popular?
parse-server has 21,408 GitHub stars and cloudserver has 1,950. parse-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are parse-server and cloudserver free?
Both are open source. parse-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and cloudserver under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parse-server and cloudserver?
parse-server is written in JavaScript and cloudserver 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, parse-server or cloudserver?
Choose parse-server if you want the larger community (21,408 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose cloudserver if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.