ejabberd vs gomuks
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
VS
gomuks
Terminal-based Matrix client written in Go
| Feature | ejabberd | gomuks |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,732 | ★ 1,727 |
| First released | 2002 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, Discord |
What are ejabberd and gomuks?
ejabberd
ejabberd is a robust and scalable XMPP server powering instant messaging, presence, and real-time communication. It targets operators running large messaging deployments. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Highly scalable XMPP server
- Clustering support
- Many extension modules
- MQTT and SIP support
gomuks
gomuks is a terminal user interface client for the Matrix protocol. It supports end-to-end encryption and provides a keyboard-driven chat experience for people who prefer the command line.
- Terminal UI
- End-to-end encryption
- Keyboard-driven
- Single Go binary
ejabberd vs gomuks: key differences
Ejabberd is written in Erlang, while gomuks is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ejabberd versus AGPL-3.0 for gomuks. Gomuks is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for ejabberd. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while gomuks arrived in 2018. Ejabberd has the considerably larger community, at 6,732 GitHub stars versus 1,727. Ejabberd lists first-class Docker deployment; gomuks does not.
Why pick each one
Choose ejabberd if…
- Extremely scalable
- Battle-tested
- Standards-based
Watch out for
- XMPP UX depends on clients
- Advanced config is complex
Choose gomuks if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or gomuks better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while gomuks is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and gomuks free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and gomuks under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and gomuks with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. gomuks: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, ejabberd or gomuks?
gomuks has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for ejabberd. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.