jabberd2 vs Dino
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
jabberd2
Lightweight C implementation of the XMPP server
VS
Dino
Modern XMPP chat client for the desktop
| Feature | jabberd2 | Dino |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Vala |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 443 | ★ 2,472 |
| First released | 2004 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack | Skype, Slack |
Why pick each one
Choose jabberd2 if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Dino if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Vala
Frequently asked questions
Is jabberd2 or Dino better?
Dino is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider jabberd2 if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are jabberd2 and Dino free and open-source?
Yes. jabberd2 is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Dino under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run jabberd2 and Dino with Docker?
jabberd2: yes. Dino: check the project docs for container support.