Amplication vs Anvil App Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Amplication | Anvil App Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 71 · Good |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,016 | ★ 1,025 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Retool, Hasura | Anvil Cloud, Retool |
What are Amplication and Anvil App Server?
Amplication
Amplication is an open-source backend development platform that generates production-ready Node.js applications with APIs, authentication and database access. It can be self-hosted to build and manage services.
- Generates Node.js backends
- REST and GraphQL APIs
- Built-in auth
- Plugin system
Anvil App Server
The Anvil App Server is the open-source runtime that lets you host web applications built with Anvil's drag-and-drop Python builder on your own infrastructure. It includes a database and server-side Python execution.
- Host Anvil apps locally
- Server-side Python
- Bundled database
- Full-stack runtime
Amplication vs Anvil App Server: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Amplication versus AGPL-3.0 for Anvil App Server. Anvil App Server is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Amplication. Amplication has the considerably larger community, at 16,016 GitHub stars versus 1,025. Amplication lists first-class Docker deployment; Anvil App Server does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Amplication if…
- Generates production boilerplate
- Auth included out-of-box
- Git sync workflow
Watch out for
- Node.js stack only
- Some features paid
Choose Anvil App Server if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Amplication or Anvil App Server better?
Neither is universally better. Amplication has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Amplication and Anvil App Server free and open-source?
Yes. Amplication is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Anvil App Server under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amplication and Anvil App Server with Docker?
Amplication: yes. Anvil App Server: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Amplication or Anvil App Server?
Anvil App Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Amplication. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.