ejabberd vs Openfire
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
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | ejabberd | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Erlang | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,732 | ★ 3,064 |
| First released | 2002 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, WhatsApp | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
What are ejabberd and Openfire?
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
Openfire
Openfire is a mature, cross-platform real-time collaboration server that uses the XMPP protocol. It offers a clean web administration console and an extensive plugin ecosystem for chat, presence, and group communication.
- Web-based admin console
- Rich plugin ecosystem
- LDAP and Active Directory integration
- Group chat and presence
ejabberd vs Openfire: key differences
Ejabberd is written in Erlang, while Openfire is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for ejabberd versus Apache-2.0 for Openfire. Ejabberd is the more established project (first released 2002), while Openfire arrived in 2004. Ejabberd has the considerably larger community, at 6,732 GitHub stars versus 3,064.
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 Openfire if…
- Easy to administer
- Long track record
Watch out for
- Java memory footprint
- Dated user interface
Frequently asked questions
Is ejabberd or Openfire better?
Neither is universally better. ejabberd has the larger community, while Openfire is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are ejabberd and Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. ejabberd is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ejabberd and Openfire with Docker?
ejabberd: yes. Openfire: yes.