diaspora* vs Sphinx Relay
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
Sphinx Relay
Chat and pay over the Lightning Network
| Feature | diaspora* | Sphinx Relay |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | free |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,656 | ★ 247 |
| First released | 2010 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Sphinx Relay if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is diaspora* or Sphinx Relay better?
Neither is universally better. diaspora* has the larger community, while Sphinx Relay is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are diaspora* and Sphinx Relay free and open-source?
Yes. diaspora* is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sphinx Relay under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run diaspora* and Sphinx Relay with Docker?
diaspora*: yes. Sphinx Relay: yes.