copyparty vs elFinder
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
copyparty
Portable file server with accelerated resumable uploads
VS
elFinder
Web file manager with a desktop-style interface
| Feature | copyparty | elFinder |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,774 | ★ 4,804 |
| First released | 2019 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive, Dropbox |
What are copyparty and elFinder?
copyparty
copyparty is a portable file server with features including resumable uploads, deduplication, WebDAV, FTP, and media indexing. It runs from a single Python file with no dependencies.
- Accelerated resumable uploads
- WebDAV, FTP, and TFTP support
- Single-file Python deployment
elFinder
elFinder is an open-source web file manager with a user interface inspired by the macOS Finder. It supports multiple storage backends, drag and drop, and image editing.
- macOS Finder-style UI
- Multiple storage backends
- Built-in image editor
copyparty vs elFinder: key differences
Copyparty is written in Python, while elFinder is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for copyparty versus BSD-3-Clause for elFinder. Copyparty is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for elFinder. ElFinder is the more established project (first released 2010), while copyparty arrived in 2019. Copyparty has the considerably larger community, at 46,774 GitHub stars versus 4,804. Copyparty lists first-class Docker deployment; elFinder does not.
Why pick each one
Choose copyparty if…
- Single-file deployment
- Fast resumable uploads
- WebDAV and FTP built in
Watch out for
- Unconventional interface
- Many flags to learn
Choose elFinder if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is copyparty or elFinder better?
copyparty is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider elFinder if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are copyparty and elFinder free and open-source?
Yes. copyparty is licensed under MIT and elFinder under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run copyparty and elFinder with Docker?
copyparty: yes. elFinder: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, copyparty or elFinder?
copyparty has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for elFinder. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.