Hoppscotch vs Swagger Editor Self-Hosted
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted developer tools & git options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Hoppscotch
Open-source API development ecosystem
VS
Swagger Editor Self-Hosted
Browser editor for designing and validating OpenAPI documents
| Feature | Hoppscotch | Swagger Editor Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Developer Tools & Git | Developer Tools & Git |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 80,488 | ★ 9,464 |
| First released | 2019 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Postman, Insomnia | Stoplight, Postman |
What are Hoppscotch and Swagger Editor Self-Hosted?
Hoppscotch
Hoppscotch is a lightweight, fast API client for testing REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket endpoints. The self-hosted edition adds team workspaces and collection sharing.
- REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket testing
- Team collections
- Environment variables
- Fast lightweight UI
Swagger Editor Self-Hosted
Swagger Editor is a browser-based tool for designing, editing, and validating OpenAPI specifications with live preview. It can be self-hosted via a Docker image for internal API design teams.
- Live OpenAPI validation
- Split-pane editor and preview
- Docker image available
- Import and export specs
Hoppscotch vs Swagger Editor Self-Hosted: key differences
Hoppscotch is written in TypeScript, while Swagger Editor Self-Hosted is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Hoppscotch versus Apache-2.0 for Swagger Editor Self-Hosted. Swagger Editor Self-Hosted is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Hoppscotch. Swagger Editor Self-Hosted is the more established project (first released 2015), while Hoppscotch arrived in 2019. Hoppscotch has the considerably larger community, at 80,488 GitHub stars versus 9,464.
Why pick each one
Choose Hoppscotch if…
- Fast lightweight interface
- REST GraphQL WebSocket support
- Team workspaces built in
Watch out for
- Multi-container backend stack
- Some features enterprise-only
Choose Swagger Editor Self-Hosted if…
- Easy to self-host
- Real-time feedback
Watch out for
- Editor only, no mock server
- No collaboration features
Frequently asked questions
Is Hoppscotch or Swagger Editor Self-Hosted better?
Neither is universally better. Hoppscotch has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Hoppscotch and Swagger Editor Self-Hosted free and open-source?
Yes. Hoppscotch is licensed under MIT and Swagger Editor Self-Hosted under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hoppscotch and Swagger Editor Self-Hosted with Docker?
Hoppscotch: yes. Swagger Editor Self-Hosted: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hoppscotch or Swagger Editor Self-Hosted?
Swagger Editor Self-Hosted has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Hoppscotch. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.