BrowserQuest 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?
BrowserQuest
Self-hostable HTML5 multiplayer adventure game
VS
Colyseus
Authoritative multiplayer game server framework for Node.js
| Feature | BrowserQuest | Colyseus |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,378 | ★ 7,168 |
| First released | 2012 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Realm of the Mad God | Photon Engine |
Why pick each one
Choose BrowserQuest if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.4k GitHub stars
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 BrowserQuest or Colyseus better?
BrowserQuest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Colyseus if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BrowserQuest and Colyseus free and open-source?
Yes. BrowserQuest is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Colyseus under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BrowserQuest and Colyseus with Docker?
BrowserQuest: yes. Colyseus: yes.