deCONZ vs diyHue
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted home automation options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
diyHue
Open-source emulator of the Philips Hue Bridge
| Feature | deCONZ | diyHue |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 85 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | Home Automation | Home Automation |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,908 | ★ 1,823 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Philips Hue Bridge | Philips Hue Bridge |
What are deCONZ and diyHue?
deCONZ
deCONZ is gateway software for the ConBee and RaspBee Zigbee adapters, exposing a REST API to control Zigbee devices. It includes a graphical network editor for managing the Zigbee mesh.
- Zigbee gateway with REST API
- Graphical network editor
- Works with ConBee and RaspBee
- Home Assistant integration
diyHue
diyHue is an open-source project that emulates a Philips Hue Bridge, allowing many lights and devices to work with Hue apps and ecosystems. It bridges DIY and third-party lights into the Hue world.
- Emulates the Hue Bridge
- Supports DIY and third-party lights
- Works with Hue apps
- Local operation
deCONZ vs diyHue: key differences
DeCONZ is written in C++, while diyHue is built with Python. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for deCONZ versus MIT for diyHue. DiyHue is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for deCONZ.
Why pick each one
Choose deCONZ if…
- Visual mesh management
- Stable Zigbee stack
Watch out for
- Tied to specific adapters
- Partly closed-source core
Choose diyHue if…
- No physical bridge needed
- Broad light support
Watch out for
- Compatibility quirks
- Configuration is technical
Frequently asked questions
Is deCONZ or diyHue better?
Neither is universally better. deCONZ has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are deCONZ and diyHue free and open-source?
Yes. deCONZ is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and diyHue under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run deCONZ and diyHue with Docker?
deCONZ: yes. diyHue: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, deCONZ or diyHue?
diyHue has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for deCONZ. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.