Centrifugo vs Databag
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Centrifugo
Scalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites
VS
Databag
Federated, end-to-end encrypted messaging service for the web, iOS,
| Feature | Centrifugo | Databag |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,590 | ★ 1,477 |
| First released | 2015 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Databag if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrifugo or Databag better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Centrifugo and Databag free and open-source?
Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Databag under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Centrifugo and Databag with Docker?
Centrifugo: yes. Databag: yes.