head to head · open source
parse-server vs dlt
parse-server has 21,409 GitHub stars, 4,807 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. dlt has 5,871 stars, 605 forks, 434 open issues and last shipped yesterday. parse-server leads on adoption by 265% (21,409 vs 5,871 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 10%. dlt 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 | ★ 5.9K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-13 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 605 |
| 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
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 dlt
dlt (data load tool) is an open source Python library, licensed under Apache 2.0, that automates tedious data loading by moving data from messy, often unstructured sources into well structured, typed datasets, and it is built for Python developers and data engineers who want to load data without adopting a platform.
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or dlt more popular?
parse-server has 21,409 GitHub stars and dlt has 5,871. 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 (21,409 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.