BrowserQuest vs Pterodactyl
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
Pterodactyl
Free game server management panel
| Feature | BrowserQuest | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,378 | ★ 9,115 |
| First released | 2012 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Realm of the Mad God | TCAdmin, Multicraft |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is BrowserQuest or Pterodactyl better?
BrowserQuest is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pterodactyl if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are BrowserQuest and Pterodactyl free and open-source?
Yes. BrowserQuest is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Pterodactyl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run BrowserQuest and Pterodactyl with Docker?
BrowserQuest: yes. Pterodactyl: yes.