Arm Keil MDK vs Eclipse Che

Arm Keil MDK is a toolchain for embedded software targeting Cortex-M and Ethos-U processors. MDK v6 supports command-line, IDE, and continuous-integration workflows across major operating systems. It includes Keil Studio extensions for Visual Studio Code, Keil μVision, Arm Compiler for Embedded, and Arm Fixed Virtual Platform models. Software packs add device and board support, middleware, components, code templates, and example projects independently of the toolchain. Keil Studio supports CMSIS workflows with an integrated debugger and extensions for creating, building, and testing embedded applications. Listed integrations include CMSIS-FreeRTOS, Keil RTX5, MDK-Middleware, IoT clients, CMSIS-DAP, ULink, and third-party debug adapters. Community is for non-commercial use. The listed MDK v6 Essential plan costs $99 a month per license; Professional costs $199 a month per license and adds Arm Virtual Hardware, functional-safety compiler tools, and legacy tools including Arm Compiler 5. Keil μVision is available only for Windows hosts.

Eclipse Che is an open-source development environment that runs IDEs in Kubernetes. Users create workspaces from a Git repository or sample, then access them online through a browser. Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs are available. Workspace definitions use Devfiles, YAML files that can be versioned with application source code, and a devcontainer configuration is listed. GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket identities can connect through OAuth. Teams can share a development setup by URL, and Che can run on public or private Kubernetes clusters, including self-hosted deployments. Access uses OIDC authentication and Kubernetes RBAC authorization. Enterprise support includes air-gapped networks, TLS certificates, proxies, and FIPS. Code is cloned to persistent storage by default, but other file changes disappear when a workspace stops unless stored on a persistent volume. Che is free, with no stated usage limits.