SHSelfHostIndex

Centrifugo vs Solanum

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?
CE Centrifugo Scalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites VS SO Solanum IRCv3 server daemon used by Libera.Chat
FeatureCentrifugoSolanum
CategoryChat & CommunicationChat & Communication
LicenseMITGPL-2.0
LanguageGoC
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 10,590★ 260
First released20152020
ReplacesPusher, Firebase Realtime DatabaseSlack, Discord

Why pick each one

Choose Centrifugo if…

  • Handles many connections
  • Easy to integrate
Centrifugo details

Choose Solanum if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Written in C
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Solanum details

Frequently asked questions

Is Centrifugo or Solanum better?

Centrifugo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Solanum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Centrifugo and Solanum free and open-source?

Yes. Centrifugo is licensed under MIT and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Centrifugo and Solanum with Docker?

Centrifugo: yes. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.

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