Dufs vs h5ai
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?
Dufs
Distinctive utility file server with WebDAV support
VS
h5ai
Modern HTTP web server index for browsing files
| Feature | Dufs | h5ai |
|---|---|---|
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,562 | ★ 6,052 |
| First released | 2022 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Dropbox, Google Drive | Google Drive |
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 10.6k GitHub stars
Choose h5ai if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 6.1k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Dufs or h5ai better?
Neither is universally better. Dufs has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dufs and h5ai free and open-source?
Yes. Dufs is licensed under Apache-2.0 and h5ai under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dufs and h5ai with Docker?
Dufs: yes. h5ai: check the project docs for container support.