10 top picks · 1 audience ranking
Best open source developer tools
The best open source developer tool is OpenHands, with 90,074 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; code-server and Portainer are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: OpenHands leads for solo developers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 34 apps in the developer tools category of the appsgit catalog.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed nightly
Top picks
- Rank 1:
OpenHands
OpenHands/OpenHands
Platform for AI software development agents that write code and run commands.
AI & LLM ToolsTypeScriptDockerAI-nativeOpenHands has 90,074 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,155 commits in the last year.
- Rank 2:
code-server
coder/code-server
VS Code in the browser, hosted on a remote server.
Developer ToolsTypeScriptDockercode-server has 79,549 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year.
- Rank 3:
Portainer
portainer/portainer
Web UI for managing Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes environments.
Self-hosting PlatformsTypeScriptDockerPortainer has 38,621 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license, ships a Docker image and had 789 commits in the last year.
1 of 2 · 10 picks
Top picks
10 of the 34 apps in the developer tools category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.
- 1
OpenHands
Platform for AI software development agents that write code and run commands.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeOpenHands has 90,074 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,155 commits in the last year.
- 2
code-server
VS Code in the browser, hosted on a remote server.
Developer ToolsDockercode-server has 79,549 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year.
- 3
Portainer
Web UI for managing Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes environments.
Self-hosting PlatformsDockerPortainer has 38,621 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license, ships a Docker image and had 789 commits in the last year.
- 4
Langfuse
LLM engineering platform for model tracing, prompt management, and application evaluation. Langfuse helps teams collaboratively debug, analyze, and iterate on their LLM applications such as chatbots…
Developer ToolsDockerAI-nativeLangfuse has 35,416 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 4,298 commits in the last year; it replaces Sentry.
- 5
k6
Modern load testing tool using JavaScript scripts.
Developer ToolsDockerk6 has 31,797 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 844 commits in the last year.
- 6
Temporal
Durable execution platform for reliable workflows and background jobs.
Automation & WorkflowsDockerTemporal has 23,487 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,022 commits in the last year.
- 7
PostHog
Product analytics, session recording, feature flagging and a/b testing that you can self-host (alternative to Mixpanel, Amplitude, Heap, HotJar, Optimizely).
AnalyticsAI-nativePostHog has 40,156 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 35,167 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Analytics and Metabase Cloud.
- 8
Coder
Remote development machines on your own infrastructure.
Developer ToolsDockerCoder has 16,857 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,468 commits in the last year.
- 9
Verdaccio
Lightweight private npm proxy registry.
Developer ToolsDockerVerdaccio has 17,911 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 536 commits in the last year.
- 10
Sentry Self-Hosted
Powerful error tracking platform with wide language support and a robust API.
Source-availableDeveloper ToolsSentry Self-Hosted has 45,479 GitHub stars, is source-available under the FSL 1.1 (Apache 2.0 future licence) (not an open-source license) and had 17,926 commits in the last year; it replaces Sentry.
2 of 2 · 5 picks
Best for solo developers
Ranked for solo developers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits.
- 1
OpenHands
Platform for AI software development agents that write code and run commands.
AI & LLM ToolsDockerAI-nativeOpenHands has 90,074 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 3,155 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 2
code-server
VS Code in the browser, hosted on a remote server.
Developer ToolsDockercode-server has 79,549 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 296 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 3
Portainer
Web UI for managing Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes environments.
Self-hosting PlatformsDockerPortainer has 38,621 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 789 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 4
Langfuse
LLM engineering platform for model tracing, prompt management, and application evaluation. Langfuse helps teams collaboratively debug, analyze, and iterate on their LLM applications such as chatbots…
Developer ToolsDockerAI-nativeLangfuse has 35,416 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 4,298 commits in the last year; it replaces Sentry. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
- 5
k6
Modern load testing tool using JavaScript scripts.
Developer ToolsDockerk6 has 31,797 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Go and had 844 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days.
What is the best open source developer tool?
The best open source developer tool is OpenHands, with 90,074 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; code-server and Portainer are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: OpenHands leads for solo developers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 34 apps in the developer tools category of the appsgit catalog.
Is OpenHands free?
Yes. OpenHands is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.
Which open source developer tool is best for a solo developer?
OpenHands ranks first for solo developers, with 90,074 GitHub stars, the MIT license and a Docker image; code-server and Portainer follow. The solo developers ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity.
Can I self-host these developer tools with Docker?
Yes, 8 of the 10 picks. OpenHands, code-server and Portainer publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide.
Are all of these developer tools open source?
9 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy.
Which of these developer tools is the most actively developed?
PostHog, with 35,167 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, desktop-v0.61.621, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
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