Epicyon vs Khatru Pyramid
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Epicyon | Khatru Pyramid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 33 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Mastodon, Twitter |
What are Epicyon and Khatru Pyramid?
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
Khatru Pyramid
A nostr relay with a invite hierarchy. Contribute to github-tijlxyz/khatru-pyramid development by creating an account on GitHub.
Epicyon vs Khatru Pyramid: key differences
Epicyon is written in Python, while Khatru Pyramid is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Epicyon versus Unlicense for Khatru Pyramid. Khatru Pyramid is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Epicyon. Epicyon is the more established project (first released 2019), while Khatru Pyramid arrived in 2024. Epicyon has the considerably larger community, at 300 GitHub stars versus 33.
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 Khatru Pyramid if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Khatru Pyramid better?
Neither is universally better. Epicyon has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Epicyon and Khatru Pyramid free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Khatru Pyramid under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Khatru Pyramid with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Khatru Pyramid: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Epicyon or Khatru Pyramid?
Khatru Pyramid has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Epicyon. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.