croc vs XBackBone
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
XBackBone
Lightweight file manager with full ShareX support
| Feature | croc | XBackBone |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 40,431 | ★ 1,169 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, AirDrop | WeTransfer |
What are croc and XBackBone?
croc
croc is a tool that allows two computers to transfer files and folders simply and securely. It uses a relay with end-to-end encryption and a code-phrase system for pairing.
- End-to-end encrypted transfers
- Code-phrase pairing
- Self-hostable relay server
XBackBone
Lightweight file manager with full ShareX support.
croc vs XBackBone: key differences
Croc is written in Go, while XBackBone is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for croc versus AGPL-3.0 for XBackBone. Croc is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 50 MB for XBackBone. Croc is the more established project (first released 2018), while XBackBone arrived in 2023. Croc has the considerably larger community, at 40,431 GitHub stars versus 1,169.
Why pick each one
Choose croc if…
- Simple code-phrase pairing
- End-to-end encrypted
- Resumable transfers
Watch out for
- CLI only
- Public relay by default
Choose XBackBone if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is croc or XBackBone better?
Neither is universally better. croc has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are croc and XBackBone free and open-source?
Yes. croc is licensed under MIT and XBackBone under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run croc and XBackBone with Docker?
croc: check the project docs for container support. XBackBone: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, croc or XBackBone?
croc has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 50 MB for XBackBone. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.