edu-sharing vs Open edX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted learning & courses options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
edu-sharing
Open-source repository for educational resources
VS
Open edX
Scalable open-source platform for online courses
| Feature | edu-sharing | Open edX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning & Courses | Learning & Courses |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 8,192 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 30 | ★ 8,156 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Canvas Commons | Coursera, Canvas |
Why pick each one
Choose edu-sharing if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Java
Choose Open edX if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 8.2k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is edu-sharing or Open edX better?
Neither is universally better. Open edX has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are edu-sharing and Open edX free and open-source?
Yes. edu-sharing is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Open edX under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run edu-sharing and Open edX with Docker?
edu-sharing: yes. Open edX: yes.