SHSelfHostIndex

closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin vs SparkleShare

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
C closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin Global name system for secure file sharing VS SP SparkleShare Git-backed file synchronization with version history
Feature closet GoToSocial NoNo upspinSparkleShare
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
Health score39 · At risk71 · Good
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseBSD-3-ClauseGPL-3.0
LanguageGoC#
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcebare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 6,404★ 4,981
First released20162010
ReplacesDropboxDropbox

What are closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin and SparkleShare?

closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin

Upspin is an experimental framework from Google for naming and sharing files securely across the internet. It gives every file a globally unique name and end-to-end encrypted access control.

  • Global file naming system
  • End-to-end encrypted sharing
  • Fine-grained access groups

SparkleShare

SparkleShare is a file synchronization tool that uses Git repositories as the storage backend, giving every change a full version history. It is well suited to syncing collaborative projects and small text-heavy files across machines.

  • Git-backed versioning
  • Automatic conflict handling
  • End-to-end encryption option
  • Self-hosted on any SSH host

Read the full SparkleShare guide →

closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin vs SparkleShare: key differences

closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin is written in Go, while SparkleShare is built with C#. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin versus GPL-3.0 for SparkleShare. SparkleShare is the more established project (first released 2010), while closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin arrived in 2016.

Why pick each one

Choose closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin if…

  • Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
  • Mature project with 6.4k GitHub stars
  • Written in Go
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin details

Choose SparkleShare if…

  • Full history of every change
  • Works over plain SSH

Watch out for

  • Poor with large binary files
  • Slower development pace
SparkleShare details

Frequently asked questions

Is closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin or SparkleShare better?

Neither is universally better. closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin has the larger community, while SparkleShare is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin and SparkleShare free and open-source?

Yes. closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and SparkleShare under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin and SparkleShare with Docker?

closet GoToSocial NoNo upspin: check the project docs for container support. SparkleShare: check the project docs for container support.

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