Code Search vs Comby

Code Search is a self-hosted platform for searching and changing code across repositories, with CLI support for batch work. Zoekt provides sub-second repository search; SCIP features support go-to-definition, find-references and symbol search. Teams can make replacements across multiple repositories and have the platform create branches and merge requests. A built-in MCP server connects assistants such as Claude and Cursor for code search, browsing and navigation. Supported code hosts include GitHub, GitHub Enterprise Server, GitLab, self-hosted GitLab, Gitea, and Bitbucket Cloud and Server. Deployment choices include Docker, source builds, Kubernetes and Helm. The maker says code and data stay on customer servers and the application sends no telemetry or usage data back. Community is free and includes unlimited users. Enterprise adds OIDC single sign-on, role-based repository permissions, audit logging and priority support; pricing is on request. Community support is available through GitHub Issues, and the project is licensed under Apache License 2.0.

Comby is a free, open-source tool for searching and changing code structure with lightweight templates. It recognizes basic syntax in code, strings, and comments across many languages, with parsers listed for C/C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, Rust, Swift, and TypeScript, plus a generic matcher for other formats. The project targets large refactors and one-off changes, and an interactive review mode lets users inspect proposed edits. Comby can run from its command line, Python bindings, or HTTP requests sent to a server on your machine. Installation instructions cover macOS with Homebrew, Ubuntu, Windows through Ubuntu on WSL, and Docker; building from source is also described. Linked projects include an Emacs package and a prototype VS Code extension. Other uses include structural code search, compiler fuzzing, test-case reduction, editor find and replace, and academic research. Comby matches balanced delimiters while accounting for comments and string literals, and supports regex search. It is self-hosted and available for API, Linux, macOS, and Windows use. The Apache-2.0 license is identified in the public repository.