Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Scaling NPM in VMs with Npmserve

At Plaid, we spend a lot of time thinking about the tools we use on the engineering side, which has helped us to automate time-consuming tasks and focus on e...

Npmserve is a developer tool that speeds up npm package installations in virtual machines. Built by Plaid to solve performance issues with npm running in VirtualBox environments, it addresses the significant slowdown… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Scaling NPM in VMs with Npmserve launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Sub-millisecond VM sandboxes using CoW memory forking▲311

   I wanted to see how fast an isolated code sandbox could start if I never had to boot a fresh VM. So instead of launching a new microVM per execution, I boot Firecracker once with Python and numpy already loaded, then snapshot the full VM state. Every execution after that creates a new KVM VM backed by a `MAP_PRIVATE` mapping of the snapshot memory, so Linux gives me copy-on-write pages automatically. That means each sandbox starts from an already-running Python process inside a real VM, runs the code, and exits. These are real KVM VMs, not containers: separate guest kernel, separate guest…

   Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

2. 2AI
   Auto install npm dependencies as you code▲60

   2016 · npmjs.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   I've been making JavaScript sandbox alone for 6 years▲397

   Hi HN! Thanks for your attention to my post. It was a big challenge to run most of Node.js packages in browser, fast moreover. Virtual File system, resolve import/export. I got cold many times, depressions, burned out, yet still alive and finished it. Many guys helped me with an advice. Many users give a lot of positive feedback. There are 200,000 monthly unique users. I work full time now because of the freemium business model. To be honest - I am happy after many years of hard work.

   2022 · playcode.io · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Tiny VM sandbox in C with apps in Rust, C and Zig▲196

   Minimalist, dependency-free virtual machine sandbox for microcontrollers and other resource-constrained devices. Single C file, no dynamic memory allocations, asynchronous design, pure C99 - ringtailsoftware/uvm32

   Dec 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   I'm open-sourcing my game engine▲318

   Modd.io is a collaborative game editor that runs in browser. It's kind of like Figma for game dev. We made this engine low-code and multiplayer-first, so developeres can quickly prototype casual multiplayer games. I hope some of you guys will find this useful. Would love to hear feedback also. Thank you. Engine Demo: https://www.modd.io

   2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Nub – A Bun-like all-in-one toolkit for Node.js▲277

   Colin here, creator of Nub. I’ve had the general shape of this in mind for years. Nub runs your code with stock `node`, augmented with a `--require` preload hook[0] that adds a transpiler (oxc-powered, packaged as a Node-API add-on), registers a module resolution hook[1], and injects polyfills as needed for APIs like `Worker`, `Temporal`, etc. All purely additive, your code ultimately runs using Node’s actual engine & stdlib implementations. [0] https://nodejs.org/api/cli.html#-require-module [1]…

   Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

7. 7SW
   See what other NPM packages everyone else is using▲67

   2016 · npmdiscover.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Second State VM▲78

   High performance secure & portable Rust functions in Node.js

   2020 · secondstate.io · its alternatives →

9. 9
   EasyNPM▲108

   Search & install command with one-click for npm packages

   2023 · easynpm.netlify.app · its alternatives →

10. 10
    npm i -g hotcell▲97

    Hi HN! Sina here. i wanted to share this open source project (apache 2.0) that i've been working on for the past month or so. it's called hotcell and it lets you create/pause/manage sandboxes on any device (your laptop, linux vm, bare metal). i've tested it against various benchmarks that i found on computesdk (https://www.computesdk.com/benchmarks/sandboxes/) as well as the one shared by dax (cofounder of open code) on twitter recently (link to his original thread and my reply https://x.com/sinasanm/status/2078158598996443346) and…

    Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Ndm – Npm Desktop Manager▲62

    2016 · 720kb.github.io · its alternatives →

12. 12IM
    I'm 15 years old, and I released my first NPM module: Wizardry▲98

    2012 · diy.github.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Patchwork – Open-source framework to automate development gruntwork▲116

    Hi HN! We’re Asankhaya and Rohan and we are building Patchwork. Patchwork tackles development gruntwork—like reviews, docs, linting, and security fixes—through customizable, code-first 'patchflows' using LLMs and modular code management steps, all in Python. Here's a quick overview video: https://youtu.be/MLyn6B3bFMU From our time building DevSecOps tools, we experienced first-hand the frustrations our users faced as they built complex delivery pipelines. Almost a third of developer time is spent on code management tasks[1], yet backlogs remain. Patchwork lets you combine…

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    High-order Virtual Machine (HVM) – A Parallel Functional Runtime▲150

    HVM1 (2022): a massively parallel, optimal functional runtime in Rust - HigherOrderCO/HVM1

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    ied – an alternative package manager for Node▲86

    :package: Like npm, but faster - an alternative package manager for Node - alexanderGugel/ied

    2015 · github.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    AVR-VM – VM with JIT-compiler for ATMega32 written in Rust▲78

    VM with JIT-compiler for ATMega32 written in Rust. Contribute to MackieLoeffel/avr-vm development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2017 · github.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Modshim – A new alternative to monkey-patching in Python▲109

    I've invented a new alternative to forking / vendoring / monkey-patching packages in Python. It's a bit like OverlayFS for Python modules - it allows you write modifications for a target module (lower) in a new module (upper), and have these combined in a new virtual module (mount). It works by rewriting imports using AST transformations, then running both the lower and upper module's code in the new Python module. This prevents polluting the global namespace when monkey-patching, and means if you want to make changes to a third-party package, you don't have to take on the…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

18. 18NP
    NPM package for a visual scripting editor▲26

    Hey guys! I just released a NPM package to integrate a visual scripting editor into any node project (React, Vue, Angular... you name it). Basically, the goal is to provide your users a way to customize, automate, create new features for your product. Just like an open-source community, but without the barrier of code. Here's the homepage of the project: https://luna-park.app And a small tutorial for visual scripting: https://luna-park.app/challenge

    2023 · npmjs.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    NDesk▲97

    Install and run Javascript/Node.js projects in a GUI

    2020 · ndesk.app · its alternatives →

20. 20
    MetaVM Creator for Web▲90

    Tool for rapid development of static UI using React.js

    2023 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    DepsGuard – One command to harden NPM/pnpm/yarn/bun/uv configs▲40

    I kept seeing every npm/pnpm/yarn/bun/uv supply chain post end with the same advice (set a minimum release age, turn off install scripts), and while I know cooldowns are "controversial", they do work. But even if you convince people that they should set cooldowns, it seems many don't end up following through, not sure why, maybe because it means hand-editing five config files in five formats with five different time units, or perhaps the "it won't happen to me" syndrome (or "I'll do it later, it seems complicated" where it's actually very simple). So I created a tool that…

    Jun 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    WebAssembly runtime embedded in Godot game engine▲32

    A WebAssembly runtime embedded in Godot game engine projects. Interact with Wasm modules from GDScript. Accessing Wasm modules via GDScript provides the following benefits. - Sandboxed environment allows safely loading zero-trust mods/extensions to a project. - Single target means that Wasm modules can be built from any language e.g. Rust, Go, AssemblyScript and the single binary can be run on all platforms. - Fast execution compared to GDScript allows for offloading compute-heavy operations or running bots/mods/etc. at high FPS. This might be useful for loading mods, bot AI,…

    2023 · github.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Slim 2: Create VM from Dockerfile, boots in seconds (+macOS M1/Hyper-V)▲59

    Build and run tiny vms from Dockerfiles. Small and sleek. - GitHub - ottomatica/slim at 2.x

    2022 · github.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    VM-curator – a TUI alternative to libvirt and virt-manager▲42

    I've long wanted to harness QEMU/KVM for my desktop virtual machines, but I'm befuddled by virt-manager's lack of support for working NVIDIA 3D acceleration, dogmatic embrace of ugly XML, and the puzzling UI decision of having to click what seems like 15 buttons to attach an ISO to a VM image. When I further learned that NVIDIA's broken 3D acceleration is the fault of libvirt as opposed to QEMU's virtio driver, I had an idea... Behold, vm-curator! A fast and friendly VM management TUI written in Rust. You can create, configure, organize, and manage VMs directly with QEMU. No libvert. No…

    Jan 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →