My Fav Open Source Tools on Github as a Developer (2025 List)

As a dev, I’m constantly on GitHub hunting for the next tool that’ll save me time, automate something painful, or just blow my mind. And let me tell you—2025 has been a banger year for open source. From AI-powered coding assistants to full-blown PaaS platforms, the community is building faster than ever.

Quick heads-up:
Apidog is a solid all-in-one API platform. Design, test, mock, and document your APIs in one clean UI. Great for speeding up API dev.

Why Open Source Still Wins in 2025

With all the shiny proprietary tools and cloud services popping up every week, it might be tempting to go all-in on closed platforms. But open source still hits different and for good reason.

First, there’s transparency. You can audit the code, understand what’s happening under the hood, and make changes if something doesn’t work for you. No black boxes.

Second, community support is unmatched. Whether it's a GitHub discussion thread, a Discord server, or Stack Overflow, chances are someone else has hit the same bug or contributed a fix.

And let’s be real: open source lets you own your stack. No vendor lock-in. No surprise paywalls. Just powerful tools you can host, fork, or extend as you see fit.

So here’s my handpicked list of Open Source GitHub Tools 2025 that I personally use and love. Whether you're into building apps, testing APIs, or writing code with help from LLMs, this list has something for you.

1. Tabby

GitHub: TabbyML/tabby

Tabby is a local, open source alternative to GitHub Copilot. It brings autocomplete and inline suggestions to your favorite editors using models like StarCoder, DeepSeek Coder, or Code Llama.

Features:

• Works offline or with your own GPU/cloud setup
• Real-time code suggestions across multiple languages
• Supports VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, and more
• Self-hostable with Docker
• Easily integrates with company codebases

Best for: Developers who want AI-assisted coding without sending their code to a third party

2. Hoppscotch

GitHub: hoppscotch/hoppscotch

Hoppscotch is a blazing fast API client, a fantastic open source alternative to Postman. It’s minimal, responsive, and supports everything from REST to GraphQL.

Features:

• REST, GraphQL, WebSocket, and SSE support
• Real-time collaboration
• Environment variables and test scripts
• Browser-based with PWA and desktop app
• Self-hostable with one-click deploy

Best for: Developers testing APIs or building backend services that need a fast, extensible API tool

3. Coolify

GitHub: coollabsio/coolify

Coolify is a fully open source alternative to platforms like Heroku or Vercel. It lets you deploy full-stack apps, static sites, databases, and workers—without writing Dockerfiles or NGINX configs.

Features:

• Auto deploy from Git (push to main, done)
• Docker container orchestration
• Built-in PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and other services
• TLS, custom domains, and health checks included
• UI and CLI support

Best for: Indie hackers or startup teams who want Heroku-like ease with full control

4. DevToys

GitHub: DevToys/app

DevToys is the Swiss Army knife of development. It’s a toolbox of over 30+ handy utilities bundled into a clean UI.

Features:

• JSON formatter, hash generator, UUID creator
• Regex tester and visualizer
• JWT decoder and color converter
• Markdown preview and diff checker
• Works offline with no telemetry

Best for: Developers who constantly need small web tools but want them all in one local app

5. Zed

GitHub: zed-industries/zed

Zed is a high-performance code editor built in Rust, focused on speed and real-time collaboration. While still early, it’s rapidly gaining traction.

Features:

• Native speed and zero-lag editing
• Multiplayer editing and voice chat
• AI integration for autocomplete and refactoring
• Project-wide search and Git support
• Open source with an active dev team

Best for: Developers looking for a fast, modern alternative to VS Code with multiplayer in mind

6. OpenHands

GitHub: All-Hands-AI/OpenHands

OpenDevin is an experimental dev agent that understands natural language commands and interacts with your terminal, file system, and codebase.

Features:

• Task planning and execution via LLMs
• Works with your terminal and local code
• AI agents can run, debug, and test scripts
• Docker support for isolated environments
• Visual interface for task management

Best for: Experimenters and automation fans looking to build custom AI workflows for dev tasks

7. DevPod

GitHub: loft-sh/devpod

DevPod lets you spin up reproducible dev environments using templates. It’s like Codespaces, but open source and works with any infrastructure.

Features:

• Templates for full-stack, backend, and containerized dev setups
• Works with local machines, remote VMs, or Kubernetes
• Runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows
• VS Code integration
• Shared configuration across teams

Best for: Teams needing consistent dev environments or self-hosted cloud IDEs

8. Wasp

GitHub: wasp-lang/wasp

Wasp is a domain-specific language for building full-stack web apps using React and Node.js with minimal boilerplate.

Features:

• Built-in routing, auth, database, and deployment
• Uses Prisma for database modeling
• Supports React, Express, and Docker
• CLI scaffolding for features
• Easily deployable to Vercel or Render

Best for: Devs building MVPs, dashboards, or internal tools who want to skip boilerplate

9. Turborepo

GitHub: vercel/turborepo

Turborepo is a high-performance monorepo build system developed by Vercel. It’s ideal for projects with shared components, libraries, and microservices.

Features:

• Remote caching across CI/CD pipelines
• Incremental builds and smart task scheduling
• Works with npm, pnpm, and Yarn
• TypeScript-first with great support for Next.js
• GitHub Actions and Vercel integration

Best for: Teams managing multiple packages and shared libraries in one codebase

10. NocoDB

GitHub: nocodb/nocodb

NocoDB turns any SQL database into a smart spreadsheet interface. It’s like Airtable, but self-hosted and open source.

Features:

• Connects to MySQL, Postgres, SQLite, and more
• Spreadsheet-style UI over your data
• REST and GraphQL APIs generated automatically
• Role-based access and workflow automation
• Works great for internal tools

Best for: Teams or freelancers building admin panels, dashboards, or quick data-driven apps

Final Thoughts

The open source scene in 2025 is more powerful than ever. What I love most is how these tools make it easier for devs to build high-quality software without relying on closed platforms or bloated enterprise stacks.

Every tool on this list is GitHub-hosted, fully open source, and designed to solve real developer pain points. From AI coding agents to PaaS replacements and monorepo tooling, these projects are shaping how we build software today.

If you're exploring Open Source GitHub Tools in 2025, these picks are a solid place to start. Star them, fork them, contribute to them—and most importantly, use them.