Compare / code-server vs Coder
code-server vs Coder
Pick code-server if you want the published GitHub Codespaces editor (MIT VS Code in the browser on one box). Pick Coder if you want that AGPL-3.0 workspace control plane for a team or agents.
Facts checked 27 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
code-server in the catalog Coder in the catalog Start on Railway
How they compare
| code-server | Coder | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT License (catalog) source | GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (catalog) source |
| Language | TypeScript (catalog) | Go (catalog) |
| GitHub activity | 79,645 stars in the catalog source | 17,105 stars in the catalog source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/coder-workspaces. One VS Code tab plus a home volume. | A workspace control plane. Official docs at coder.com. |
| Best for | The published Codespaces editor. | Team workspaces if a single box is not the shape. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Both are on the published lander — /stacks/coder-workspaces. code-server is coder/code-server (MIT; 79,645 stars in the catalog). Coder is coder/coder (AGPL-3.0; 17,105 stars in the catalog). They share a parent org; they are not the same deploy. Copilot stays on /replace/github-copilot. Neither has a one-click c17 Railway template.
FAQ
- Is this Copilot?
- Autocomplete stays on /replace/github-copilot. This pair is the remote editor.
- Where is OpenHands?
- An agent sandbox — /replace/replit. Not this pair.
- Are these free?
- code-server is MIT. Coder is AGPL-3.0. You pay hosting.
- How do I deploy code-server?
- Open /stacks/coder-workspaces. Persist the home volume. Open one repo.
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