diaspora* vs Enigma 1/2 BBS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
diaspora*
Privacy-focused decentralized social network
VS
Enigma 1/2 BBS
Enigma 1/2 is a modern, multi-platform BBS engine with unlimited
| Feature | diaspora* | Enigma 1/2 BBS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | Ruby | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,656 | ★ 658 |
| First released | 2010 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Enigma 1/2 BBS if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Enigma 1/2 BBS better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Enigma 1/2 BBS is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are diaspora* and Enigma 1/2 BBS free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Enigma 1/2 BBS under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Enigma 1/2 BBS with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Enigma 1/2 BBS: yes.