# 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. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source developer tool? | | Picks | 15 | | Top pick | OpenHands (90,074 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-developer-tools | ## 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. - [OpenHands](https://appsgit.com/apps/openhands) (90,074 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): OpenHands has 90,074 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 3,155 commits in the last year. - [code-server](https://appsgit.com/apps/code-server) (79,549 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): code-server has 79,549 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 296 commits in the last year. - [Portainer](https://appsgit.com/apps/portainer) (38,621 stars, Zlib, TypeScript, Docker): Portainer has 38,621 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license, ships a Docker image and had 789 commits in the last year. - [Langfuse](https://appsgit.com/apps/langfuse) (35,416 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Langfuse 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. - [k6](https://appsgit.com/apps/k6) (31,797 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): k6 has 31,797 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 844 commits in the last year. - [Temporal](https://appsgit.com/apps/temporal) (23,487 stars, MIT, Go, Docker): Temporal has 23,487 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 2,022 commits in the last year. - [PostHog](https://appsgit.com/apps/posthog) (40,156 stars, MIT, Python, AI features): PostHog 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. - [Coder](https://appsgit.com/apps/coder) (16,857 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Coder has 16,857 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 5,468 commits in the last year. - [Verdaccio](https://appsgit.com/apps/verdaccio) (17,911 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): Verdaccio has 17,911 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 536 commits in the last year. - [Sentry Self-Hosted](https://appsgit.com/apps/sentry-self-hosted) (45,479 stars, FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0, source-available, Python): Sentry 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. ## Best for solo developers Ranked for solo developers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [OpenHands](https://appsgit.com/apps/openhands) (90,074 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): OpenHands 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. - [code-server](https://appsgit.com/apps/code-server) (79,549 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): code-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. - [Portainer](https://appsgit.com/apps/portainer) (38,621 stars, Zlib, TypeScript, Docker): Portainer 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. - [Langfuse](https://appsgit.com/apps/langfuse) (35,416 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Langfuse 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. - [k6](https://appsgit.com/apps/k6) (31,797 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): k6 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. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 34 apps in the developer tools category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### 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. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source low-code platform?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-low-code-platforms) - [What is the best open source analytics tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-analytics) - [What is the best open source self-hosting platform?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-self-hosting-platforms) - [What is the best open source workflow automation tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-workflow-automation) - [What is the best open source database tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-database-tools) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source pastebin?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pastebins) - [What is the best open source reverse proxy?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-reverse-proxies) ## See also - [All developer tools apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/developer-tools) - [All low-code & backend apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/low-code) - [All AI & LLM tools apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/ai-tools) - [Open-source alternatives to Sentry](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/sentry) - [Open-source alternatives to Google Analytics](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/google-analytics) - [Open-source alternatives to Metabase Cloud](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/metabase-cloud) - [Portainer vs Dockge](https://appsgit.com/compare/portainer-vs-dockge) - [How to self-host Portainer with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/portainer) - [How to self-host PostHog with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/posthog) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-developer-tools Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.