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GitHub Codespaces VS DigitalOcean

Compare GitHub Codespaces VS DigitalOcean and see what are their differences

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GitHub Codespaces logo GitHub Codespaces

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

DigitalOcean logo DigitalOcean

Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.
  • GitHub Codespaces Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-01
  • DigitalOcean Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-10

GitHub Codespaces features and specs

  • Instant Setup
    GitHub Codespaces allows for quick setup of development environments, enabling developers to start coding within minutes.
  • Consistency
    By using Codespaces, all team members can work in consistent development environments, avoiding the 'works on my machine' problem.
  • Scalable
    Codespaces can easily scale up or down resources based on the needs of the project, offering flexibility in resource allocation.
  • Integrated with GitHub
    Seamless integration with GitHub means that Codespaces takes advantage of all GitHub features like pull requests, issues, and workflows directly within the development environment.
  • Customizable Environments
    Developers can define the configuration of their development environments using devcontainer.json files, making it easy to set up tailored workspaces.
  • Remote Development
    Codespaces allows developers to work from virtually anywhere without needing to rely on the power of their local machines.

Possible disadvantages of GitHub Codespaces

  • Cost
    Using Codespaces incurs a cost based on compute and storage resources, which can add up, especially for larger teams or more intensive projects.
  • Internet Reliance
    Codespaces are cloud-based, so a stable internet connection is required. Any disruption in connectivity can hinder development progress.
  • Customization Limitations
    While customizable, Codespaces may not support all specific or advanced development setups or niche tools as effectively as local environments.
  • Performance Variability
    Performance might vary depending on the selected instance type and current load on GitHub's infrastructure.
  • Dependency on GitHub Ecosystem
    Codespaces are tightly integrated with GitHub, which could be a downside for teams that use other platforms or who prefer a more platform-independent solution.
  • Learning Curve
    Developers unfamiliar with cloud-based environments may face a learning curve when first transitioning to Codespaces.

DigitalOcean features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    DigitalOcean offers a simple and intuitive interface, which is particularly helpful for developers who want to quickly deploy and manage cloud infrastructure.
  • Cost-Effective
    DigitalOcean provides affordable pricing, making it an attractive option for startups and small businesses that need cloud services but are on a tight budget.
  • Scalability
    The platform allows you to easily scale your infrastructure vertically by upgrading your droplet's resources or horizontally by adding more droplets.
  • Performance
    DigitalOcean provides high-performance SSD-based virtual machines (droplets), which offer fast and reliable performance for a variety of applications.
  • Community and Documentation
    DigitalOcean has an extensive library of tutorials and a large community of users, which can be incredibly helpful for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Managed Services
    DigitalOcean offers managed services like Managed Databases and Managed Kubernetes, which simplify the management of complex infrastructure setups.

Possible disadvantages of DigitalOcean

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While DigitalOcean is great for simple setups and small to medium-sized applications, it lacks some of the advanced features and services offered by larger cloud providers like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
  • Regional Availability
    DigitalOcean has a more limited number of data centers compared to major competitors, which might be a drawback if you need a presence in a specific region not covered by their facilities.
  • Customer Support
    DigitalOcean's customer support is primarily based on a ticketing system which could be slower and less efficient compared to the instant chat or phone support options that other cloud providers offer.
  • No Built-in Advanced Networking Features
    Advanced networking features like global load balancing are either limited or not available, which could be a concern for more complex infrastructure needs.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Switching from DigitalOcean to another provider might be challenging due to the unique configurations and setups; this could result in higher costs and effort.

Analysis of GitHub Codespaces

Overall verdict

  • GitHub Codespaces is considered a good tool for developers looking for convenience, consistency, and speed in their workflow. It's particularly valued for its ability to streamline onboarding and its seamless integration with GitHub repositories.

Why this product is good

  • GitHub Codespaces offers a cloud-based development environment that enables developers to code directly in the browser without the need to set up a local development environment. It integrates seamlessly with GitHub, allows for quick setup, provides consistent environments across teams, and is particularly useful for remote collaboration.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for a cloud-based development solution
  • Teams working remotely who need consistent development environments
  • Project maintainers who want to simplify setup for contributors
  • Developers who frequently switch between projects and need quick environment setups

GitHub Codespaces videos

Brief introduction of GitHub Codespaces

More videos:

  • Review - GitHub Codespaces First Look - 5 things to look for

DigitalOcean videos

DigitalOcean Review 2018 ( Why it Might not be Good for Blogging )

More videos:

  • Review - DigitalOcean vs AWS
  • Review - SITEGROUND VS DIGITALOCEAN 🤑 HONEST 💯 PROMO CODES

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GitHub Codespaces and DigitalOcean)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
0 0%
100% 100
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
VPS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GitHub Codespaces and DigitalOcean

GitHub Codespaces Reviews

12 Best Online IDE and Code Editors to Develop Web Applications
Beginners who want to try their luck can use GitHub Codespaces for free with limited benefits, but you will have enough features to carry on. If you are a team or an enterprise, you can start using GitHub Codespaces at $40/user/year.
Source: geekflare.com

DigitalOcean Reviews

Top 5 Best Ubuntu VPS Providers for 2024
Overview and Unique Selling Points DigitalOcean simplifies cloud computing for developers, offering scalable infrastructure designed to grow with your project. Known for its developer-friendly platform, DigitalOcean provides an extensive range of services from Droplets to Kubernetes, all supporting Ubuntu. Their SSD-only cloud servers, flexible API, and transparent pricing...
Best Linux VPS [Top 10 Linux VPS Provider 2024]
DigitalOcean makes it easier to handle your server using one click. They have a predictable and transparent pricing model. So, you can know all about the pricing. But aside from all of its advantages, the pricing for the DigitalOcean is relatively high compared to other VPS hosting solutions available in the market. For example, their basic 2GB RAM VPS is $12. In addition,...
Source: cloudzy.com
8 Best Free VPS Trials In 2024 [No Credit Card Required]
*These all are DigitalOcean cloud provider-based plans. Plans vary according to your choice of Cloud Provider.
10 Best Web Hosting Companies in India(December 2023)
Straightforward and intuitive, DigitalOcean's interface allows you to deploy your cloud infrastructure quickly and without hassle.
Source: www.vikatan.com
Top 50 Cheapest Cloud Services Providers | Affordable Cloud Hosting
Our goal is to make cloud computing as simple as possible so that developers and businesses can spend more time creating software that makes a difference in the world. You’ll love the cloud computing services you need, with predictable pricing, developer-friendly features, and scalability. DigitalOcean consistently outperforms other cloud providers in terms of price while...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitHub Codespaces should be more popular than DigitalOcean. It has been mentiond 148 times since March 2021. 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.

GitHub Codespaces mentions (148)

  • VSCode's SSH Agent Is Bananas
    https://github.com/features/codespaces All you need is a well-defined .devcontainer file. Debugging, extensions, collaborative coding, dependant services, OS libraries, as much RAM as you need (as opposed to what you have), specific NodeJS Versions — all with a single click. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • GitHub Workflows: The First Line of Defense
    For this week, our task was to automate everything: GitHub workflows for testing, linting, building, and error checking. Additionally, I set up a dev container that contributors can use in GitHub Codespaces for a fast, hassle-free setup. Finally, we were assigned to write tests for a classmate's project! - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Dear AWS, how do I build & develop purely on AWS right now?
    As an alternative for Cloud9, you can use vscode.dev, which runs VS Code in the browser or other alternatives that are more integrated and personalized like gitpod.io or Github Codespaces. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: Any Recommendations Around Programming on an iPad?
    Check out GitHub Codespaces https://github.com/features/codespaces I have used it for learning C, Rust and Go. It even has a VSCode editor in the browser. It’s pretty easy to setup. Create a repo, add a hello_world.c, push the code, then in the UI press the green code option and select Create code space on main and then use the gcc from the terminal to compile... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Local development with Subdomains, Mobile Testing, and OAuth
    I updated the settings in my router to keep my IP assigned to my computer to avoid needing to update the DNS file. ### Remote Development One option I didn't try is doing all of your development remotely in something like Github Workspaces. From what it looks like, I think this would provide all the functionality needed except, you'd be dependent on internet and be locked into their pricing. I've worked in this... - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
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DigitalOcean mentions (66)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GitHub Codespaces and DigitalOcean, you can also consider the following products

CloudShell - Cloud Shell is a free admin machine with browser-based command-line access for managing your infrastructure and applications on Google Cloud Platform.

Linode - We make it simple to develop, deploy, and scale cloud infrastructure at the best price-to-performance ratio in the market.

replit - Code, create, andlearn together. Use our free, collaborative, in-browser IDE to code in 50+ languages — without spending a second on setup.

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.

StackBlitz - Online VS Code Editor for Angular and React

Vultr - VULTR Global Cloud Hosting - Brilliantly Fast SSD VPS Cloud Servers. 100% KVM Virtualization