Epicyon vs Honk
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Epicyon | Honk |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | ISC |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 400 |
| First released | 2019 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Epicyon and Honk?
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
Honk
Honk is an opinionated, single-user ActivityPub server written in Go that federates with the wider fediverse. It deliberately omits algorithmic feeds and trends in favor of a simple chronological timeline.
- Single-user fediverse server
- Chronological timeline
- SQLite storage
- Minimal dependencies
Epicyon vs Honk: key differences
Epicyon is written in Python, while Honk is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Epicyon versus ISC for Honk. Honk is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Epicyon.
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 Honk if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Honk better?
Neither is universally better. Honk has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Epicyon and Honk free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Honk under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Honk with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Honk: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Epicyon or Honk?
Honk has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Epicyon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.