filite vs Ghostbin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | filite | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 6 · At risk | 7 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 189 | ★ 188 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Imgur, Pastebin.com | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are filite and Ghostbin?
filite
filite is a lightweight, self-hosted alternative to file sharing and pastebin services, written in Rust. It stores uploaded files, shortened links, and code pastes in a single SQLite database and serves them over a minimal HTTP interface.
- Files, links and pastes in one tool
- Single SQLite database
- Rust single-binary server
- Simple HTTP API
Ghostbin
Ghostbin, whose engine is now called spectre, is a feature-rich, self-hosted pastebin offering syntax highlighting, paste expiration, and optional encryption. It is the open-source software that powered the public Ghostbin service.
- Syntax highlighting
- Optional encryption
- Paste expiration
- Self-hosted control
filite vs Ghostbin: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Ghostbin's repository is archived and no longer developed, while filite is actively maintained. Filite is written in Rust, while Ghostbin is built with JavaScript. Filite is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Ghostbin. Ghostbin is the more established project (first released 2014), while filite arrived in 2019.
Why pick each one
Choose filite if…
- Very low resource usage
- Combines several sharing tools
Watch out for
- Minimal web interface
- Limited recent activity
Choose Ghostbin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is filite or Ghostbin better?
filite is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ghostbin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are filite and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. filite is licensed under MIT and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run filite and Ghostbin with Docker?
filite: yes. Ghostbin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, filite or Ghostbin?
filite has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Ghostbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.