SHSelfHostIndex

ET: Legacy vs Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
ET ET: Legacy Maintained engine and server for Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory VS CA Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Open-source turn-based survival roguelike
FeatureET: LegacyCataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0CC-BY-SA-3.0
LanguageCC++
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 707★ 12,896
First released20122013
ReplacesWolfenstein: Enemy Territory originalNetHack

Why pick each one

Choose ET: Legacy if…

  • Keeps a classic alive
  • Free and open
ET: Legacy details

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Frequently asked questions

Is ET: Legacy or Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead better?

Neither is universally better. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are ET: Legacy and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead free and open-source?

Yes. ET: Legacy is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead under CC-BY-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run ET: Legacy and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with Docker?

ET: Legacy: yes. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support.

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