AzerothCore vs Colyseus
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AzerothCore
Open-source MMORPG server framework for World of Warcraft
VS
Colyseus
Authoritative multiplayer game server framework for Node.js
| Feature | AzerothCore | Colyseus |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,732 | ★ 7,168 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | official WoW servers | Photon Engine |
Why pick each one
Choose AzerothCore if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.7k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Colyseus if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 7.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is AzerothCore or Colyseus better?
Neither is universally better. AzerothCore has the larger community, while Colyseus is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are AzerothCore and Colyseus free and open-source?
Yes. AzerothCore is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Colyseus under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AzerothCore and Colyseus with Docker?
AzerothCore: yes. Colyseus: yes.