Endless Sky vs Naev
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Endless Sky | Naev |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 72 · Good |
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,583 | ★ 940 |
| First released | 2015 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Escape Velocity | Escape Velocity |
What are Endless Sky and Naev?
Endless Sky
Endless Sky is a free, open-source space exploration, trading, and combat game. It is a single-player game that can be downloaded and run locally, with extensive community plugins.
- Open-world space sandbox
- Trading and combat
- Story missions
- Community plugin support
Naev
Naev is a free, open-source 2D space exploration, trading, and combat game with a large open universe. While primarily single-player, it can be deployed as a shared server-hosted build for communities.
- Open-universe exploration
- Trading and combat
- Branching missions
- Cross-platform
Endless Sky vs Naev: key differences
Endless Sky is written in C++, while Naev is built with C. Naev is the more established project (first released 2009), while Endless Sky arrived in 2015. Endless Sky has the considerably larger community, at 7,583 GitHub stars versus 940.
Why pick each one
Choose Endless Sky if…
- Polished free game
- Highly moddable
Watch out for
- Single-player only
- No server component
Choose Naev if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in C
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Endless Sky or Naev better?
Neither is universally better. Endless Sky has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Endless Sky and Naev free and open-source?
Yes. Endless Sky is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Naev under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Endless Sky and Naev with Docker?
Endless Sky: check the project docs for container support. Naev: check the project docs for container support.