head to head · open source
parse-server vs dlt
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars, 4,813 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. dlt has 6,051 stars, 649 forks, 434 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. parse-server leads on adoption by 254% (21,397 vs 6,051 stars). parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; dlt is written in Python under Apache-2.0. parse-server has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, dlt 11%. 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 | dlt | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 6.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 649 |
| 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 dlt if
- You want the dlt feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and dlt 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 dlt
data load tool (dlt) — the open source Python library that automates all your tedious data loading tasks Be it a Google Colab notebook, AWS Lambda function, an Airflow DAG, your local laptop, or an AI coding agent— dlt can be dropped in anywhere. 🚀 Join our thriving community of likeminded developers and build the future together! Installation dlt supports Python 3.10 through Python 3.14. Note that some optional extras are not yet available for Python 3.14, so support for this version is considered experimental. Add the extras you need for your sources and destinations, for example: Prefer uv? uv add…
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or dlt more popular?
parse-server has 21,397 GitHub stars and dlt has 6,051. parse-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are parse-server and dlt free?
Both are open source. parse-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and dlt under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parse-server and dlt?
parse-server is written in JavaScript and dlt 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 dlt?
Choose parse-server if you want the larger community (21,397 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose dlt if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.