Firefish vs Mitra
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Mitra
Federated microblogging server with crypto integration
| Feature | Firefish | Mitra |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,300 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2022 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Firefish and Mitra?
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
Mitra
Mitra is a lightweight, federated microblogging server written in Rust that implements ActivityPub. It is designed for small instances and includes optional integration with cryptocurrency-based features.
- Lightweight Rust server
- ActivityPub federation
- Small-instance focus
- Low resource usage
Firefish vs Mitra: key differences
Firefish is written in TypeScript, while Mitra is built with Rust. Mitra is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Firefish. Firefish has the considerably larger community, at 1,300 GitHub stars versus 200.
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 Mitra if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Firefish or Mitra 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 Mitra free and open-source?
Yes. Firefish is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mitra under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firefish and Mitra with Docker?
Firefish: yes. Mitra: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Firefish or Mitra?
Mitra has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Firefish. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.