Campfire vs Invidious
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?
| Feature | Campfire | Invidious |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | free | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Ruby | Crystal |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,471 | ★ 22,442 |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose Campfire if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
Choose Invidious if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Mature project with 22.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Crystal
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Campfire or Invidious better?
Neither is universally better. Invidious has the larger community, while Campfire is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Campfire and Invidious free and open-source?
Yes. Campfire is licensed under free and Invidious under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Campfire and Invidious with Docker?
Campfire: yes. Invidious: check the project docs for container support.