ByteStash vs paaster
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
ByteStash
Pastebin and file storage service with a simple web interface
VS
paaster
End-to-end encrypted pastebin built with the objective of simplicity
| Feature | ByteStash | paaster |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,514 | ★ 558 |
| First released | 2026 | 2026 |
| Replaces | — | — |
Why pick each one
Choose ByteStash if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose paaster if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Svelte
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ByteStash or paaster better?
Neither is universally better. ByteStash has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ByteStash and paaster free and open-source?
Yes. ByteStash is licensed under GPL-3.0 and paaster under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ByteStash and paaster with Docker?
ByteStash: yes. paaster: yes.