Fedify vs Takahe
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Fedify | Takahe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,026 | ★ 1,172 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Fedify and Takahe?
Fedify
Fedify is a TypeScript framework for building ActivityPub-based federated server applications. It handles the protocol details so developers can create new fediverse software more easily.
- ActivityPub server framework
- Handles federation protocol
- TypeScript and Deno support
- Powers fediverse apps
Takahe
Takahe is an ActivityPub server that can host multiple domains and identities from a single deployment. It is designed for those who want to run several fediverse personas without separate installations.
- Multi-domain hosting
- Multiple identities per user
- Stateless workers
- ActivityPub federation
Fedify vs Takahe: key differences
Fedify is written in TypeScript, while Takahe is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Fedify versus BSD-3-Clause for Takahe. Fedify is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Takahe. Takahe is the more established project (first released 2022), while Fedify arrived in 2024. Takahe lists first-class Docker deployment; Fedify does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Fedify if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Takahe if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Fedify or Takahe better?
Neither is universally better. Takahe has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Fedify and Takahe free and open-source?
Yes. Fedify is licensed under MIT and Takahe under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Fedify and Takahe with Docker?
Fedify: check the project docs for container support. Takahe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Fedify or Takahe?
Fedify has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Takahe. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.