Khatru Pyramid vs Ktistec
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Khatru Pyramid | Ktistec |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 79 · Good |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Unlicense | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Crystal |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33 | ★ 436 |
| First released | 2024 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Mastodon, Twitter | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Khatru Pyramid and Ktistec?
Khatru Pyramid
A nostr relay with a invite hierarchy. Contribute to github-tijlxyz/khatru-pyramid development by creating an account on GitHub.
Ktistec
Ktistec is a single-user ActivityPub server written in Crystal, designed to be easy to deploy and maintain. It provides a personal fediverse presence with a simple, self-contained runtime.
- Single-user design
- Self-contained runtime
- SQLite storage
- ActivityPub federation
Khatru Pyramid vs Ktistec: key differences
Khatru Pyramid is written in Go, while Ktistec is built with Crystal. Licensing differs — Unlicense for Khatru Pyramid versus AGPL-3.0 for Ktistec. Khatru Pyramid is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Ktistec. Ktistec is the more established project (first released 2020), while Khatru Pyramid arrived in 2024. Ktistec has the considerably larger community, at 436 GitHub stars versus 33.
Why pick each one
Choose Khatru Pyramid if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Choose Ktistec if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Crystal
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Khatru Pyramid or Ktistec better?
Neither is universally better. Ktistec has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Khatru Pyramid and Ktistec free and open-source?
Yes. Khatru Pyramid is licensed under Unlicense and Ktistec under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Khatru Pyramid and Ktistec with Docker?
Khatru Pyramid: check the project docs for container support. Ktistec: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Khatru Pyramid or Ktistec?
Khatru Pyramid has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Ktistec. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.