0bin vs pasty
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | 0bin | pasty |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 29 · At risk | 46 · Fair |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | WTFPL | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,402 | ★ 223 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com | Pastebin.com |
What are 0bin and pasty?
0bin
0bin is a client-side encrypted pastebin that the server operator cannot read. It encrypts pastes in the browser and offers expiration and burn-after-reading without requiring registration.
- Client-side encryption
- No accounts required
- Burn after reading
- Expiration options
pasty
pasty is a fast and lightweight code-pasting server written in Go. It supports configurable storage backends, paste expiration, and an autodelete feature for ephemeral snippet sharing.
- Fast snippet sharing
- Configurable storage backends
- Paste expiration
- Simple deployment
0bin vs pasty: key differences
0bin is written in JavaScript, while pasty is built with Go. Licensing differs — WTFPL for 0bin versus MIT for pasty. Pasty is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for 0bin. 0bin is the more established project (first released 2012), while pasty arrived in 2020. 0bin has the considerably larger community, at 1,402 GitHub stars versus 223.
Why pick each one
Choose 0bin if…
- Released under the WTFPL license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Choose pasty if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is 0bin or pasty better?
Neither is universally better. 0bin has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are 0bin and pasty free and open-source?
Yes. 0bin is licensed under WTFPL and pasty under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 0bin and pasty with Docker?
0bin: yes. pasty: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, 0bin or pasty?
pasty has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for 0bin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.