Firefish vs Khatru Pyramid
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Firefish | Khatru Pyramid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,300 | ★ 33 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Mastodon, Twitter |
What are Firefish and Khatru Pyramid?
Firefish
Firefish is an open-source, decentralized social media platform built on ActivityPub with extensive interface customization. It includes a built-in post translator, reactions, and a flexible timeline.
- Highly customizable UI
- Post reactions
- Built-in translation
- Federated timelines
Khatru Pyramid
A nostr relay with a invite hierarchy. Contribute to github-tijlxyz/khatru-pyramid development by creating an account on GitHub.
Firefish vs Khatru Pyramid: key differences
Firefish is written in TypeScript, while Khatru Pyramid is built with Go. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Firefish versus Unlicense for Khatru Pyramid. Khatru Pyramid is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Firefish. Firefish is the more established project (first released 2022), while Khatru Pyramid arrived in 2024. Firefish has the considerably larger community, at 1,300 GitHub stars versus 33. Firefish lists first-class Docker deployment; Khatru Pyramid does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Firefish if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Khatru Pyramid if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Firefish or Khatru Pyramid better?
Neither is universally better. Firefish has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Firefish and Khatru Pyramid free and open-source?
Yes. Firefish is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Khatru Pyramid under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firefish and Khatru Pyramid with Docker?
Firefish: yes. Khatru Pyramid: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Firefish or Khatru Pyramid?
Khatru Pyramid has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Firefish. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.