Continuwuity vs Dendrite Lite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Continuwuity
Community-maintained Rust Matrix homeserver
VS
Dendrite Lite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
| Feature | Continuwuity | Dendrite Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 969 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
What are Continuwuity and Dendrite Lite?
Continuwuity
Continuwuity is a community continuation of the conduwuit Matrix homeserver, written in Rust. It provides an efficient, federated Matrix server with a focus on stability and ongoing maintenance.
- Drop-in conduwuit replacement
- Active community maintenance
- Efficient single binary
- Full Matrix federation
Dendrite Lite
A Matrix homeserver implementation in Go designed to be efficient and easy to run for small to medium communities. It speaks the Matrix federation protocol so users can chat across the wider network.
- Matrix federation
- End-to-end encryption
- Lower resource use
- Single binary deployment
Continuwuity vs Dendrite Lite: key differences
Continuwuity is written in Rust, while Dendrite Lite is built with Go. Continuwuity is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Dendrite Lite is the more established project (first released 2017), while Continuwuity arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Continuwuity if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Dendrite Lite if…
- Lighter than Synapse
- Open standard protocol
Watch out for
- Some features still maturing
- Smaller deployment base
Frequently asked questions
Is Continuwuity or Dendrite Lite better?
Neither is universally better. Dendrite Lite has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Continuwuity and Dendrite Lite free and open-source?
Yes. Continuwuity is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Dendrite Lite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Continuwuity and Dendrite Lite with Docker?
Continuwuity: yes. Dendrite Lite: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Continuwuity or Dendrite Lite?
Continuwuity has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dendrite Lite. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.