SHSelfHostIndex

Dendrite Lite vs Openfire

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
DE Dendrite Lite Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go VS OP Openfire Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
FeatureDendrite LiteOpenfire
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score73 · Good87 · Excellent
CategoryMatrix & XMPPMatrix & XMPP
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageGoJava
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarydocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 969★ 3,064
First released20172004
ReplacesSlack, DiscordSlack, Microsoft Teams

What are Dendrite Lite and Openfire?

Dendrite Lite

A Matrix homeserver implementation in Go designed to be efficient and easy to run for small to medium communities. It speaks the Matrix federation protocol so users can chat across the wider network.

  • Matrix federation
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Lower resource use
  • Single binary deployment

Openfire

Openfire is a mature, cross-platform real-time collaboration server that uses the XMPP protocol. It offers a clean web administration console and an extensive plugin ecosystem for chat, presence, and group communication.

  • Web-based admin console
  • Rich plugin ecosystem
  • LDAP and Active Directory integration
  • Group chat and presence

Read the full Openfire guide →

Dendrite Lite vs Openfire: key differences

Dendrite Lite is written in Go, while Openfire is built with Java. Openfire is the more established project (first released 2004), while Dendrite Lite arrived in 2017. Openfire has the considerably larger community, at 3,064 GitHub stars versus 969.

Why pick each one

Choose Dendrite Lite if…

  • Lighter than Synapse
  • Open standard protocol

Watch out for

  • Some features still maturing
  • Smaller deployment base
Dendrite Lite details

Choose Openfire if…

  • Easy to administer
  • Long track record

Watch out for

  • Java memory footprint
  • Dated user interface
Openfire details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dendrite Lite or Openfire better?

Neither is universally better. Openfire has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Dendrite Lite and Openfire free and open-source?

Yes. Dendrite Lite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dendrite Lite and Openfire with Docker?

Dendrite Lite: yes. Openfire: yes.

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