Gerbera vs Olaris
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Gerbera
UPnP media server for streaming to DLNA devices
VS
Olaris
Media manager and transcoding server for personal libraries
| Feature | Gerbera | Olaris |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,393 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
What are Gerbera and Olaris?
Gerbera
Gerbera is a UPnP/DLNA media server that streams audio and video to compatible TVs and devices on a local network. It targets users with DLNA hardware who want simple local streaming. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Standards-based UPnP/DLNA streaming
- Web UI for managing media
- Transcoding support
- Lightweight footprint
Olaris
Olaris is an open-source media manager and transcoding server for organizing and streaming movies and TV shows. It scrapes metadata automatically and serves content over a GraphQL API.
- Automatic metadata scraping
- GraphQL API
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Movie and TV organization
Gerbera vs Olaris: key differences
Gerbera is written in C++, while Olaris is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Gerbera versus AGPL-3.0 for Olaris. Gerbera is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Olaris. Gerbera has the considerably larger community, at 1,393 GitHub stars versus 300.
Why pick each one
Choose Gerbera if…
- Works with DLNA TVs
- Low resource use
- No client apps needed
Watch out for
- DLNA UX is basic
- No remote streaming
Choose Olaris if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Development stalled
- Limited client apps
Frequently asked questions
Is Gerbera or Olaris better?
Neither is universally better. Gerbera has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gerbera and Olaris free and open-source?
Yes. Gerbera is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Olaris under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gerbera and Olaris with Docker?
Gerbera: yes. Olaris: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gerbera or Olaris?
Gerbera has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Olaris. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.