dpaste vs Ghostbin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | dpaste | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 61 · Good | 7 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 641 | ★ 188 |
| First released | 2011 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are dpaste and Ghostbin?
dpaste
dpaste is an open-source pastebin application built with Django for sharing code and text snippets. It offers syntax highlighting, snippet expiration, and a simple API for posting from scripts.
- Django-based platform
- Syntax highlighting
- Snippet expiration
- Scripting API
Ghostbin
Ghostbin, whose engine is now called spectre, is a feature-rich, self-hosted pastebin offering syntax highlighting, paste expiration, and optional encryption. It is the open-source software that powered the public Ghostbin service.
- Syntax highlighting
- Optional encryption
- Paste expiration
- Self-hosted control
dpaste vs Ghostbin: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Ghostbin's repository is archived and no longer developed, while dpaste is actively maintained. Dpaste is written in Python, while Ghostbin is built with JavaScript. Ghostbin is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for dpaste. Dpaste is the more established project (first released 2011), while Ghostbin arrived in 2014. Dpaste has the considerably larger community, at 641 GitHub stars versus 188.
Why pick each one
Choose dpaste if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose Ghostbin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is dpaste or Ghostbin better?
dpaste is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ghostbin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are dpaste and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. dpaste is licensed under MIT and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run dpaste and Ghostbin with Docker?
dpaste: yes. Ghostbin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, dpaste or Ghostbin?
Ghostbin has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for dpaste. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.