Sampler Dashboard vs portkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Sampler Dashboard
Terminal dashboard for visualizing shell command output
VS
portkey
Simple web portal that serves as a startup page, displaying a
| Feature | Sampler Dashboard | portkey |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,727 | ★ 162 |
| First released | 2019 | 2026 |
| Replaces | Grafana | — |
Why pick each one
Choose portkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Sampler Dashboard or portkey better?
Sampler Dashboard is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider portkey if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Sampler Dashboard and portkey free and open-source?
Yes. Sampler Dashboard is licensed under GPL-3.0 and portkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sampler Dashboard and portkey with Docker?
Sampler Dashboard: check the project docs for container support. portkey: yes.