Endless Sky vs Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureEndless SkyCataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0CC-BY-SA-3.0
LanguageC++C++
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcebare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 7,490★ 12,896
First released20152013
ReplacesEscape VelocityNetHack

Why pick each one

Choose Endless Sky if…

  • Polished free game
  • Highly moddable
Endless Sky details

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Frequently asked questions

Is Endless Sky or Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead better?

Neither is universally better. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead 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 Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead free and open-source?

Yes. Endless Sky is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead under CC-BY-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Endless Sky and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with Docker?

Endless Sky: check the project docs for container support. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support.

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