Dufs vs SparkleShare

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?
FeatureDufsSparkleShare
CategoryFile Sync & StorageFile Sync & Storage
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageRustC#
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM32 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 10,562★ 4,971
First released20222010
ReplacesDropbox, Google DriveDropbox

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
Dufs details

Choose SparkleShare if…

  • Full history of every change
  • Works over plain SSH
SparkleShare details

Frequently asked questions

Is Dufs or SparkleShare better?

Dufs is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider SparkleShare if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Dufs and SparkleShare free and open-source?

Yes. Dufs is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SparkleShare under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Dufs and SparkleShare with Docker?

Dufs: yes. SparkleShare: check the project docs for container support.

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