AsmBB vs Discourse
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AsmBB
Fast, SQLite-powered forum engine written in ASM
VS
Discourse
Modern open-source community discussion platform
| Feature | AsmBB | Discourse |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Assembly | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 47,619 |
| First released | 2020 | 2013 |
| Replaces | — | phpBB, Reddit |
Why pick each one
Choose AsmBB if…
- Released under the EUPL-1.2 license
- Written in Assembly
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AsmBB or Discourse better?
Neither is universally better. Discourse has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AsmBB and Discourse free and open-source?
Yes. AsmBB is licensed under EUPL-1.2 and Discourse under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AsmBB and Discourse with Docker?
AsmBB: check the project docs for container support. Discourse: yes.