Epicyon vs Streams
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Epicyon | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Epicyon and Streams?
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
Streams
Streams is a free, decentralized social communication server that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move and clone between instances. It federates with the fediverse and offers fine-grained permissions.
- Nomadic identity
- Account cloning across servers
- Fediverse federation
- Granular permissions
Epicyon vs Streams: key differences
Epicyon is written in Python, while Streams is built with PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Epicyon versus MIT for Streams. Epicyon is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Epicyon is the more established project (first released 2019), while Streams arrived in 2021. Epicyon has the considerably larger community, at 300 GitHub stars versus 100. Streams 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 Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Epicyon or Streams better?
Epicyon is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Epicyon and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Epicyon is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Epicyon and Streams with Docker?
Epicyon: check the project docs for container support. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Epicyon or Streams?
Epicyon has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.