The Oct 2026 ranking of open-source dev tools software
This week's ranking of self-hosted dev tools software: code-server leads. See specs, hourly costs and alternatives.
Choosing dev tools software gets easier when someone else has already installed the lot — here is what the numbers say.
15 open-source dev tools projects made the cut this week. Every figure below is pulled from our own install log.
The shortlist, ranked
| # | App | Category | Installs | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | code-server VS Code in the browser — full IDE on any device | Dev Tools | 142 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 2 | Portainer Docker & Kubernetes management UI | Dev Tools | 134 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 3 | Nginx Proxy Manager Reverse proxy with free SSL in clicks | Dev Tools | 118 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 4 | Uptime Kuma Self-hosted uptime monitoring | Dev Tools | 117 000 | €0.018/hr |
| 5 | Sentry Error tracking & performance monitoring | Dev Tools | 92 000 | €0.092/hr |
| 6 | Gitea Lightweight self-hosted Git service | Dev Tools | 89 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 7 | Meilisearch Fast, typo-tolerant search API | Dev Tools | 72 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 8 | Supabase Open-source Firebase alternative | Dev Tools | 61 000 | €0.092/hr |
| 9 | Appsmith Build internal tools by drag & drop | Dev Tools | 58 000 | €0.046/hr |
| 10 | ToolJet Low-code platform for internal tools | Dev Tools | 46 000 | €0.046/hr |
| 11 | Budibase Build internal tools in minutes | Dev Tools | 36 000 | €0.046/hr |
| 12 | Infisical Open-source secrets management platform | Dev Tools | 28 000 | €0.046/hr |
| 13 | Forgejo Self-hosted Git, committed to freedom | Dev Tools | 26 000 | €0.023/hr |
| 14 | Emdash Workspace Server Workspace-server daemon for Emdash — agent runtimes on a remote machine | Dev Tools | 980 | €0.023/hr |
| 15 | OpenBao Open-source secrets & encryption (Vault fork) | Dev Tools | 900 | €0.046/hr |
Reading the field
code-server
The core loop is what code-server does best. Spec: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 25 GB disk. It tops the table for a reason: the install flow here is one click, and the first hour costs cents.
Portainer
Teams pick Portainer when they need the basics done well. Spec: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 25 GB disk. Close second, and some teams prefer its take on the problem.
Nginx Proxy Manager
Built around its core job, Nginx Proxy Manager stays out of your way. Spec: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 25 GB disk. A niche pick that earns its place.
Uptime Kuma
Teams pick Uptime Kuma when they need the basics done well. It runs comfortably on 1 vCPU / 1 GB here. Lesser known, often a better fit for smaller teams.
Choosing a server
Every app in this list runs on our Pay as you go plan. The heaviest spec here wants 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM — about €0.092 per hour, billed only while the server is on. Pick an app above to see its exact sizing.
Generated 2026-10-22 from live catalog data · all guides