dpaste vs sprunge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | dpaste | sprunge |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 61 · Good | 15 · At risk |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 641 | ★ 721 |
| First released | 2011 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist | Pastebin.com, termbin |
What are dpaste and sprunge?
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
sprunge
sprunge is a minimalist, command-line oriented pastebin server designed for piping text directly from the terminal. It returns a short URL for any uploaded content with almost no configuration.
- Terminal pipe uploads
- No database required
- Short URL output
- Tiny footprint
dpaste vs sprunge: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Sprunge is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for dpaste. Dpaste lists first-class Docker deployment; sprunge does not.
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 sprunge if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is dpaste or sprunge better?
Neither is universally better. sprunge has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are dpaste and sprunge free and open-source?
Yes. dpaste is licensed under MIT and sprunge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run dpaste and sprunge with Docker?
dpaste: yes. sprunge: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, dpaste or sprunge?
sprunge has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for dpaste. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.