Endless Sky vs Pterodactyl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Endless Sky
Free space exploration and trading game
VS
Pterodactyl
Free game server management panel
| Feature | Endless Sky | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,490 | ★ 9,115 |
| First released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Escape Velocity | TCAdmin, Multicraft |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Endless Sky or Pterodactyl better?
Neither is universally better. Pterodactyl has the larger community, while Endless Sky is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Endless Sky and Pterodactyl free and open-source?
Yes. Endless Sky is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pterodactyl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Endless Sky and Pterodactyl with Docker?
Endless Sky: check the project docs for container support. Pterodactyl: yes.