Anvil App Server vs Refine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Anvil App Server | Refine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 71 · Good | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,025 | ★ 35,717 |
| First released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Anvil Cloud, Retool | Retool |
What are Anvil App Server and Refine?
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
Refine
Refine is an open-source React-based framework for rapidly building CRUD-heavy applications such as admin panels, dashboards and internal tools. The resulting apps are self-hosted on your own infrastructure.
- Headless React framework
- CRUD scaffolding
- Many backend connectors
- Auth and access control
Anvil App Server vs Refine: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Anvil App Server versus MIT for Refine. Refine is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Anvil App Server. Refine has the considerably larger community, at 35,717 GitHub stars versus 1,025. Refine lists first-class Docker deployment; Anvil App Server does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Anvil App Server if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Refine if…
- Rapid CRUD scaffolding
- Backend-agnostic data providers
- Works with any UI kit
Watch out for
- React knowledge required
- Abstraction learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is Anvil App Server or Refine better?
Neither is universally better. Refine has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Anvil App Server and Refine free and open-source?
Yes. Anvil App Server is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Refine under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anvil App Server and Refine with Docker?
Anvil App Server: check the project docs for container support. Refine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Anvil App Server or Refine?
Refine has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Anvil App Server. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.