Kleeja vs Lufi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Kleeja | Lufi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 193 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2006 | 2015 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are Kleeja and Lufi?
Kleeja
Kleeja is a long-running PHP application for uploading and sharing files and images. It supports multiple languages, themes, and a plugin system for extension.
- Plugin and theme system
- Multilingual interface
- Long-standing project
Lufi
Lufi is a file hosting application where files are encrypted in the browser before being uploaded, so the server never sees their contents. Files can be set to delete after a chosen expiration period.
- Client-side encryption
- Automatic file expiration
- Part of the Framasoft suite
Kleeja vs Lufi: key differences
Kleeja is written in PHP, while Lufi is built with Perl. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Kleeja versus AGPL-3.0 for Lufi. Kleeja is the more established project (first released 2006), while Lufi arrived in 2015. Lufi lists first-class Docker deployment; Kleeja does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Kleeja if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose Lufi if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Perl
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Kleeja or Lufi better?
Neither is universally better. Lufi has the larger community, while Kleeja is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kleeja and Lufi free and open-source?
Yes. Kleeja is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Lufi under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kleeja and Lufi with Docker?
Kleeja: check the project docs for container support. Lufi: yes.