Cosmos Server vs DashMachine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Cosmos Server | DashMachine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,161 | ★ 1,264 |
| First released | 2023 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google homepage | Google homepage |
What are Cosmos Server and DashMachine?
Cosmos Server
Cosmos is a self-hosted server platform with an application dashboard, app store, reverse proxy, and security features. It makes managing and accessing homelab applications simple from one interface.
- App dashboard and store
- Built-in reverse proxy
- Authentication and SSO
- Security monitoring
DashMachine
DashMachine is a self-hosted application dashboard for organizing and accessing your services. It supports widgets, platform integrations, and themes to build a personalized homelab landing page.
- Application tiles and widgets
- Platform integrations
- Theming support
- Search functionality
Cosmos Server vs DashMachine: key differences
Cosmos Server is written in Go, while DashMachine is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Cosmos Server versus Unlicense for DashMachine. DashMachine is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Cosmos Server. DashMachine is the more established project (first released 2020), while Cosmos Server arrived in 2023. Cosmos Server has the considerably larger community, at 6,161 GitHub stars versus 1,264.
Why pick each one
Choose Cosmos Server if…
- All-in-one server platform
- Easy app installs
Watch out for
- Opinionated approach
- Heavier than a plain dashboard
Choose DashMachine if…
- Flexible widget system
- Simple deployment
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Cosmos Server or DashMachine better?
Neither is universally better. Cosmos Server has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cosmos Server and DashMachine free and open-source?
Yes. Cosmos Server is licensed under Apache-2.0 and DashMachine under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cosmos Server and DashMachine with Docker?
Cosmos Server: yes. DashMachine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Cosmos Server or DashMachine?
DashMachine has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Cosmos Server. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.