darktable vs Damselfly Web
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted photo management options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
darktable
Open-source photography workflow and RAW developer
VS
Damselfly Web
Server-based digital asset manager for large photo libraries
| Feature | darktable | Damselfly Web |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Photo Management | Photo Management |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, snap | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 12,904 | ★ 700 |
| First released | 2009 | 2011 |
| Replaces | Adobe Lightroom | Flickr, YouTube |
Why pick each one
Choose darktable if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 12.9k GitHub stars
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is darktable or Damselfly Web better?
darktable is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Damselfly Web if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are darktable and Damselfly Web free and open-source?
Yes. darktable is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Damselfly Web under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run darktable and Damselfly Web with Docker?
darktable: check the project docs for container support. Damselfly Web: yes.