Dim vs Olaris
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dim | Olaris |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,116 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2020 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
What are Dim and Olaris?
Dim
Dim is a self-hosted media manager that automatically scans, identifies, and organizes your movies and TV shows. It transcodes media on demand and streams to a clean web interface.
- Automatic media scanning
- On-demand transcoding
- Written in Rust
- Clean web UI
Olaris
Olaris is an open-source media manager and transcoding server for organizing and streaming movies and TV shows. It scrapes metadata automatically and serves content over a GraphQL API.
- Automatic metadata scraping
- GraphQL API
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Movie and TV organization
Dim vs Olaris: key differences
Dim is written in Rust, while Olaris is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Dim versus AGPL-3.0 for Olaris. Dim is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Olaris. Dim has the considerably larger community, at 4,116 GitHub stars versus 300.
Why pick each one
Choose Dim if…
- Low resource usage
- Single binary option
Watch out for
- Development pace varies
- Fewer features than Jellyfin
Choose Olaris if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Development stalled
- Limited client apps
Frequently asked questions
Is Dim or Olaris better?
Neither is universally better. Dim has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dim and Olaris free and open-source?
Yes. Dim is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Olaris under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dim and Olaris with Docker?
Dim: yes. Olaris: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dim or Olaris?
Dim has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Olaris. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.