head to head · open source
parse-server vs Zenko
parse-server has 21,403 GitHub stars, 4,809 forks, 561 open issues and last shipped today. Zenko has 673 stars, 92 forks, 13 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. parse-server leads on adoption by 3,080% (21,403 vs 673 stars). parse-server is written in JavaScript under Apache-2.0; Zenko is written in Gherkin under Apache-2.0. parse-server has attracted 22% as many forks as stars, Zenko 14%. 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 (mongodb), 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 | Zenko | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 673 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | Gherkin |
| Last push | 2026-09-29 | 2026-09-23 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.8K | ⑂ 92 |
| 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 Zenko if
- You want the Zenko feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Gherkin
- You evaluated both and Zenko 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 Zenko
Zenko is Scality's Apache 2.0 licensed open source multi cloud data controller, aimed at teams that want to keep control of data spread across local storage and public clouds behind a single unified namespace, access API, and search layer.
read the full Zenko overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is parse-server or Zenko more popular?
parse-server has 21,403 GitHub stars and Zenko has 673. parse-server has the larger community by that measure.
Are parse-server and Zenko free?
Both are open source. parse-server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Zenko under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between parse-server and Zenko?
parse-server is written in JavaScript and Zenko in Gherkin. 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 Zenko?
Choose parse-server if you want the larger community (21,403 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Zenko if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.