Firefish vs pump.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Firefish | pump.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,300 | ★ 2,237 |
| First released | 2022 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Firefish and pump.io?
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
pump.io
pump.io is a stream server that lets users post activities to their followers and to the web, implementing the Activity Streams format. It can be self-hosted as a personal social networking node.
- Activity Streams social server
- Personal social networking node
- Federation support
Firefish vs pump.io: key differences
Firefish is written in TypeScript, while pump.io is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Firefish versus Apache-2.0 for pump.io. Pump.io is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Firefish. Pump.io is the more established project (first released 2013), while Firefish arrived in 2022. Firefish lists first-class Docker deployment; pump.io 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 pump.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Firefish or pump.io better?
Neither is universally better. pump.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Firefish and pump.io free and open-source?
Yes. Firefish is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and pump.io under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firefish and pump.io with Docker?
Firefish: yes. pump.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Firefish or pump.io?
pump.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Firefish. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.