ejabberd vs Slidge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
ejabberd
Robust, scalable XMPP messaging server
VS
Slidge
XMPP-to-anything puppeteering bridge framework
| Feature | ejabberd | Slidge |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,711 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2002 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Beeper, Matrix bridges |
Why pick each one
Choose Slidge if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or Slidge better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ejabberd and Slidge free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Slidge under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and Slidge with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. Slidge: yes.