fiche vs Pastefy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pastefy
Modern pastebin with folders, encryption, and an API
| Feature | fiche | Pastefy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 16 · At risk | 70 · Good |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | Vue |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,550 | ★ 457 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com, termbin | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are fiche and Pastefy?
fiche
fiche is a minimalist terminal pastebin server written in C that accepts pastes piped over netcat. Users upload text from the command line and receive a short URL with no client software needed.
- Netcat-based uploads
- No client needed
- Short URL output
- Tiny C server
Pastefy
Pastefy is a modern, open-source pastebin application with a clean interface. It supports client-side encryption, multi-paste folders, an extensive API, and optional user accounts.
- Client-side encryption
- Multi-paste folders
- Full REST API
- Optional accounts
fiche vs Pastefy: key differences
Fiche is written in C, while Pastefy is built with Vue. Licensing differs — MIT for fiche versus Apache-2.0 for Pastefy. Fiche is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Pastefy. Fiche is the more established project (first released 2015), while Pastefy arrived in 2019. Fiche has the considerably larger community, at 1,550 GitHub stars versus 457. Pastefy lists first-class Docker deployment; fiche does not.
Why pick each one
Choose fiche if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.6k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Choose Pastefy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Vue
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is fiche or Pastefy better?
fiche is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Pastefy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are fiche and Pastefy free and open-source?
Yes. fiche is licensed under MIT and Pastefy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run fiche and Pastefy with Docker?
fiche: check the project docs for container support. Pastefy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, fiche or Pastefy?
fiche has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Pastefy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.