Epicyon vs Firefish
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Epicyon | Firefish |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 1,300 |
| First released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Epicyon and Firefish?
Epicyon
Epicyon is a modern, minimalist ActivityPub server designed to be lightweight, accessible, and easy to run on small hardware. It focuses on a no-JavaScript interface and strong moderation controls.
- No-JavaScript interface
- Runs on small servers
- Strong moderation tools
- Accessible by design
Firefish
Firefish is an open-source, decentralized social media platform built on ActivityPub with extensive interface customization. It includes a built-in post translator, reactions, and a flexible timeline.
- Highly customizable UI
- Post reactions
- Built-in translation
- Federated timelines
Epicyon vs Firefish: key differences
Epicyon is written in Python, while Firefish is built with TypeScript. Epicyon is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Firefish. Epicyon is the more established project (first released 2019), while Firefish arrived in 2022. Firefish has the considerably larger community, at 1,300 GitHub stars versus 300. Firefish lists first-class Docker deployment; Epicyon does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Epicyon if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Firefish if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Firefish better?
Neither is universally better. Firefish has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Epicyon and Firefish free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Firefish under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Firefish with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Firefish: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Epicyon or Firefish?
Epicyon has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Firefish. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.