CookCLI vs Tandoor Recipes
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted recipe managers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CookCLI
Plain-text recipe markup with a CLI and server
VS
Tandoor Recipes
Recipe manager for organizing and planning meals
| Feature | CookCLI | Tandoor Recipes |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Recipe Managers | Recipe Managers |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,390 | ★ 8,625 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Paprika, Crouton | Paprika, Plan to Eat |
What are CookCLI and Tandoor Recipes?
CookCLI
Cooklang is an open-source recipe markup language with a companion CLI and web server called Chef. Recipes are written in plain text and can be served, scaled, and turned into shopping lists.
- Plain-text recipe markup
- Built-in web server
- Shopping list generation
- Recipe scaling
Tandoor Recipes
Tandoor is a self-hosted application for managing recipes, planning meals, and creating shopping lists. It supports recipe scaling, meal plans, and ingredient-aware grocery lists.
- Recipe import and scaling
- Meal planning calendar
- Smart shopping lists
- Cookbook organization
CookCLI vs Tandoor Recipes: key differences
CookCLI is written in Rust, while Tandoor Recipes is built with HTML. Licensing differs — MIT for CookCLI versus AGPL-3.0 for Tandoor Recipes. CookCLI is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Tandoor Recipes. Tandoor Recipes has the considerably larger community, at 8,625 GitHub stars versus 1,390. Tandoor Recipes lists first-class Docker deployment; CookCLI does not.
Why pick each one
Choose CookCLI if…
- Version-controllable recipes
- No database needed
Watch out for
- Requires learning the syntax
- Minimal UI
Choose Tandoor Recipes if…
- Powerful planning features
- Good multi-user support
Watch out for
- Configuration can be complex
- UI has a learning curve
Frequently asked questions
Is CookCLI or Tandoor Recipes better?
Neither is universally better. Tandoor Recipes has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CookCLI and Tandoor Recipes free and open-source?
Yes. CookCLI is licensed under MIT and Tandoor Recipes under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CookCLI and Tandoor Recipes with Docker?
CookCLI: check the project docs for container support. Tandoor Recipes: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CookCLI or Tandoor Recipes?
CookCLI has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Tandoor Recipes. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.