Epicyon vs Sharkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Epicyon | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Epicyon and Sharkey?
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
Sharkey
Sharkey is a feature-rich fork of Misskey that adds quote posts, improved moderation, and additional customization for fediverse instances. It supports a rich timeline with reactions and drive file storage.
- Quote posts and reactions
- Drive file storage
- Extensive customization
- Improved moderation
Epicyon vs Sharkey: key differences
Epicyon is written in Python, while Sharkey is built with TypeScript. Epicyon is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Epicyon is the more established project (first released 2019), while Sharkey arrived in 2023. Sharkey has the considerably larger community, at 600 GitHub stars versus 300. Sharkey 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 Sharkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Sharkey better?
Neither is universally better. Sharkey has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Epicyon and Sharkey free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Sharkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Sharkey with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Sharkey: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Epicyon or Sharkey?
Epicyon has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Sharkey. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.