Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Emscripten VS Coder

Compare Emscripten VS Coder and see what are their differences

Emscripten logo Emscripten

Emscripten is an LLVM to JavaScript compiler.

Coder logo Coder

The Cloud IDE, Solved
  • Emscripten Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-02
  • Coder Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-08

Emscripten features and specs

  • Cross-platform compatibility
    Emscripten enables developers to compile C and C++ code to WebAssembly or JavaScript, allowing the same codebase to run on multiple platforms, such as browsers and node.js, without needing additional platform-specific adaptations.
  • Leverage existing libraries
    Developers can utilize a vast ecosystem of existing C and C++ libraries by compiling them for the web, saving time and resources required for rewriting or finding alternatives developed in JavaScript.
  • Performance optimization
    Emscripten's compilation to WebAssembly provides near-native performance for web applications, making it suitable for compute-intensive tasks like gaming, simulations, and data processing.
  • Familiar toolchain
    Developers can use familiar tools like CMake and others as part of their Emscripten workflow, making it easier for those with C/C++ backgrounds to adapt and integrate into their web development processes.

Possible disadvantages of Emscripten

  • Steep learning curve
    Developers unfamiliar with C and C++ may find Emscripten challenging to use effectively, as it requires knowledge of these languages and their build systems to create and debug applications.
  • Limitations in browser environments
    Certain features of C/C++ may not translate directly to web environments due to browser sandboxing constraints, leading to potential issues with file I/O, threading, and other system-level operations.
  • Code size
    Compiled WebAssembly and JavaScript code can sometimes be large, potentially affecting load times and performance, especially on lower-end devices with restrictive bandwidth or processing capabilities.
  • Debugging complexity
    Debugging WebAssembly code can be more complex than traditional JavaScript, requiring specialized tooling and techniques to trace and fix issues effectively.

Coder features and specs

  • Cloud-based Development
    Coder allows developers to write, run, and deploy code entirely in the cloud, providing access from any device without local environment dependencies.
  • Collaboration
    Team collaboration is enhanced with shared development environments, making it easier to work together on code in real-time.
  • Environment Consistency
    Ensures that all team members are using the same development environment, reducing issues related to different local setups.
  • Scalability
    Easily scale resources and manage workloads without the need for physical hardware, suitable for growing teams and projects.
  • Security
    Offers robust security features, including role-based access control and isolated environments, to protect sensitive code and data.
  • Automatic Backups
    Automated backup solutions ensure that code is regularly saved and protected against data loss.
  • Access to Powerful Resources
    Leverages cloud computing resources to provide powerful and flexible development environments that can handle heavy workloads.

Possible disadvantages of Coder

  • Cost
    Cloud development environments can be more expensive than local development, especially for small teams and individual developers.
  • Internet Dependency
    Requires a stable and fast internet connection, which can be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers need to familiarize themselves with the platform and its features, which might take time and training.
  • Performance Variability
    Performance can fluctuate based on cloud service provider reliability and latency issues, affecting development speed and efficiency.
  • Limited Offline Access
    Being a cloud-based solution, it offers limited or no functionality when offline, posing a challenge during internet outages.
  • Data Privacy Concerns
    Storing code and sensitive information on the cloud can raise privacy and compliance issues depending on the jurisdiction and data sensitivity.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying on a specific cloud service provider might make it challenging to switch providers or migrate back to local environments without significant effort and cost.

Analysis of Coder

Overall verdict

  • Coder is a strong choice for teams looking to streamline their development workflow, especially in scenarios where remote collaboration is essential. Its ability to provide scalable and consistent development environments can enhance productivity. However, its effectiveness might depend on the specific requirements of the project and the technical proficiency of the user in configuring cloud-based solutions.

Why this product is good

  • Coder (coder.com) provides a platform for developers to set up development environments in the cloud. It allows users to leverage powerful cloud-based computing resources, enabling faster processing and better scalability for large projects. The platform supports a variety of development environments and integrates well with other tools in the developer's tech stack. It promotes collaboration and reduces the overhead of maintaining local setups.

Recommended for

  • Development teams requiring remote collaboration
  • Organizations seeking improved scalability and resource management
  • Developers interested in leveraging cloud-based technology for development
  • Companies wanting to minimize the overhead of local environment maintenance

Emscripten videos

Monster Madness Online (Emscripten Web Technology Overview)

Coder videos

Coder Foundry Coding Bootcamp Review (In-person and Remote)

More videos:

  • Tutorial - IS A MEDICAL CODING CAREER RIGHT FOR YOU? How to tell if you can handle a career as a medical coder

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Emscripten and Coder)
IDE
43 43%
57% 57
Text Editors
20 20%
80% 80
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Programming
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Emscripten and Coder. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Coder might be a bit more popular than Emscripten. We know about 54 links to it since March 2021 and only 47 links to Emscripten. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Emscripten mentions (47)

  • Ask HN: Qt style "Signals and Slots" based JavaScript UI library?
    The first thing that comes to mind is that Qt now has a WebAssembly port[1] using Emscripten[2], so depending on your use-case, you could possibly just run Qt on the Web platform and avoid the need for a JavaScript framework entirely. [1]: https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/wasm.html [2]: https://emscripten.org. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: Resources for Learning Graphics Programming
    Me and a friend build our own Graphics engines based on https://learnopengl.com I can highly recommend this to everyone who gets started with computer graphics. It is a lot of new information but not the most modern Graphics library, but the information will help you understand the field and pickup any other graphics library quicker. Once I had a small project up and running I started looking at... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Software Applications Incorporated
    Https://infinitemac.org, which is https://basilisk.cebix.net compiled for the web using https://emscripten.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • How does one get started with unit testing?
    One place that I’ve found some real, open source unit tests to look at for an example is in the emsdk for emscripten: https://emscripten.org. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Playing with low-level memory in WebAssembly
    I am playing around with Emscipten which wraps around clang to compile C/C++ code in WASM binary and provide some glue-code API to embed WASM binary into JavaScript. Look into MDN Docs and Emscripten SDK to get started. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
View more

Coder mentions (54)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (May 2025)
    Coder | https://coder.com/ | Multiple roles | Multiple locations | Full-time unless specified otherwise Coder is on a mission to build enterprise software that makes software developers’ lives easier and keeps them in flow. Our cloud development environment enables customers to securely spin up ephemeral workspaces where developers and AI coding agents can do real work together. Across our open-source portfolio,... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Remote Development at Woovi
    Our initial foray into remote development was with Coder. We set it up using Docker within a large Linux container (LXC). However, as more developers spun up new environments, performance began to degrade. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (January 2025)
    Coder | https://coder.com/ | Multiple roles | Multiple locations in North America | Full-time Coder is an open-source, remote-first software company. Our product moves development from local machines to cloud infrastructure, reducing onboarding time while speeding up builds, tests, and workspace configuration for individuals and large dev teams. The developers that we support work at companies like Discord,... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Shared remote development environment in our research group
    As I was looking for a solution to the problems we faced with the shared workstations, I found Coder (https://coder.com), an open-source platform that allows you to create and manage development environments in the cloud or using your own servers. At that moment, I started building an infrastructure to solve the problems we faced with the shared workstations. At the end, the infrastructure looked like the... - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • How to Deploy Envoy Across Multiple Kubernetes Clusters
    One of the most exciting features of Sveltos is its flexibility in managing multiple clusters. You can easily scale this process to handle fleets of clusters across different regions or environments. For instance, if you wanted to deploy additional applications like https://coder.com/ or https://www.postgresql.org/, you can do so seamlessly across your development clusters. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Emscripten and Coder, you can also consider the following products

WebAssembly - Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, and Languages

Kodiak PHP - Kodiak PHP can run any PHP code directly (offline) on your iPad, no need for an internet connection.

GNU Compiler Collection - The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting...

GitHub Codespaces - GItHub Codespaces is a hosted remote coding environment by GitHub based on Visual Studio Codespaces integrated directly for GitHub.

Cheerp - Enterprise-grade C/C++ compiler for Web applications. Compiles to WASM/JavaScript

CodeLobster PHP Edition - CodeLobster - Free portable PHP IDE with support Drupal, Smarty, Twig, WordPress, Joomla, JQuery, CodeIgniter, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AngularJS, CakePHP, Facebook, Laravel, Phalcon, Symfony, Yii