Conduit vs Openfire
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Conduit
Simple, fast and reliable Matrix homeserver in Rust
VS
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Conduit | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,200 | ★ 3,064 |
| First released | 2020 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
What are Conduit and Openfire?
Conduit
Conduit is a lightweight Matrix homeserver written in Rust that aims to be easy to set up and run on small servers. It uses an embedded database and requires minimal configuration.
- Embedded database, no external DB
- Very low resource usage
- Single binary deployment
- Matrix federation support
Openfire
Openfire is a mature, cross-platform real-time collaboration server that uses the XMPP protocol. It offers a clean web administration console and an extensive plugin ecosystem for chat, presence, and group communication.
- Web-based admin console
- Rich plugin ecosystem
- LDAP and Active Directory integration
- Group chat and presence
Conduit vs Openfire: key differences
Conduit is written in Rust, while Openfire is built with Java. Conduit is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Openfire. Openfire is the more established project (first released 2004), while Conduit arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Conduit if…
- Extremely easy to deploy
- Runs on a Raspberry Pi
Watch out for
- Not all Matrix features implemented
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose Openfire if…
- Easy to administer
- Long track record
Watch out for
- Java memory footprint
- Dated user interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Conduit or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community, while Conduit is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Conduit and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Conduit is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Conduit and Openfire with Docker?
Conduit: yes. Openfire: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Conduit or Openfire?
Conduit has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Openfire. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.