Dufs vs File Browser

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up? Compare Dufs with Compare File Browser with

DU Dufs Distinctive utility file server with WebDAV support VS

File Browser Archived Lightweight web file manager for a directory

Feature	Dufs	File Browser
Deploy effort	Under-an-hour setup	Under-an-hour setup
Health score	86 · Excellent	15 · At risk
Status	Actively maintained	Archived
Category	File Sync & Storage	File Sync & Storage
License	Apache-2.0	Apache-2.0
Language	Rust	Go
Setup difficulty	Easy	Easy
Min. RAM	32 MB	64 MB
Deployment	docker, binary	docker, binary
GitHub stars	★ 10,778	★ 35,937
First released	2022	2017
Replaces	Dropbox, Google Drive	Dropbox

What are Dufs and File Browser?

Dufs

Dufs is a lightweight single-binary file server that supports static serving, uploading, searching, and WebDAV. It offers access control, resumable uploads, and a clean web UI.

Single-binary file server
WebDAV support
Access control and resumable uploads

File Browser

File Browser provides a clean web interface to manage files within a specified directory, supporting upload, download, sharing, and user accounts. It suits users who want simple browser-based access to a folder rather than a full sync platform. It ships as a single Go binary and a small Docker image.

Single-binary web file manager
User accounts and share links
Built-in editor and previews
Minimal resource usage

Read the full File Browser guide →

Dufs vs File Browser: key differences

The biggest difference is maintenance: File Browser's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Dufs is actively maintained. Dufs is written in Rust, while File Browser is built with Go. Dufs is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 64 MB for File Browser. File Browser is the more established project (first released 2017), while Dufs arrived in 2022. File Browser has the considerably larger community, at 35,937 GitHub stars versus 10,778.

Why pick each one

Choose Dufs if…

Released under the Apache-2.0 license
Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
First-class Docker support for quick deployment
Mature project with 10.8k GitHub stars

Dufs details

Choose File Browser if…

Extremely lightweight
Trivial to deploy
Good for quick file access

Watch out for

No sync client
Limited collaboration features

File Browser details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dufs or File Browser better?

Neither is universally better. File Browser has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Dufs and File Browser free and open-source?

Yes. Dufs is licensed under Apache-2.0 and File Browser under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dufs and File Browser with Docker?

Dufs: yes. File Browser: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Dufs or File Browser?

Dufs has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 64 MB for File Browser. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.