CasaOS vs Hajimari
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CasaOS
Simple, easy-to-use home cloud system and dashboard
VS
Hajimari
Kubernetes-aware startpage that auto-discovers your apps
| Feature | CasaOS | Hajimari |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 45 · Fair | 63 · Good |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,254 | ★ 822 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Google homepage | Google homepage |
What are CasaOS and Hajimari?
CasaOS
CasaOS is a community-based open-source home cloud operating system and dashboard built on Docker. It provides an elegant app store and dashboard for managing self-hosted applications.
- Elegant app store
- Drag-and-drop dashboard
- File management
- Docker app management
Hajimari
Hajimari is a self-hosted startpage and dashboard for Kubernetes clusters. It auto-discovers applications from ingress annotations and presents them in a themeable grid alongside custom bookmarks and a built-in search bar.
- Kubernetes app auto-discovery
- Customizable bookmarks
- Built-in search bar
- Themeable interface
CasaOS vs Hajimari: key differences
Both projects are written in Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CasaOS versus MIT for Hajimari. Hajimari is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CasaOS. CasaOS has the considerably larger community, at 37,254 GitHub stars versus 822.
Why pick each one
Choose CasaOS if…
- Very beginner-friendly
- Polished interface
Watch out for
- Best on dedicated hardware
- Less control than raw Docker
Choose Hajimari if…
- Great Kubernetes integration
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Less active development
- Fewer widgets than rivals
Frequently asked questions
Is CasaOS or Hajimari better?
Neither is universally better. CasaOS has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CasaOS and Hajimari free and open-source?
Yes. CasaOS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Hajimari under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CasaOS and Hajimari with Docker?
CasaOS: yes. Hajimari: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CasaOS or Hajimari?
Hajimari has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for CasaOS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.