Lufi vs rustypaste
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Lufi | rustypaste |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Perl | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 1,207 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Firefox Send | WeTransfer, Imgur |
What are Lufi and rustypaste?
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
rustypaste
rustypaste is a minimal self-hosted file upload and pastebin service written in Rust. It supports expiring uploads, one-shot files, and command-line usage with curl.
- One-shot expiring uploads
- Curl-friendly API
- Minimal resource usage
Lufi vs rustypaste: key differences
Lufi is written in Perl, while rustypaste is built with Rust. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Lufi versus MIT for rustypaste. Rustypaste is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Lufi. Lufi is the more established project (first released 2015), while rustypaste arrived in 2021. Rustypaste has the considerably larger community, at 1,207 GitHub stars versus 300.
Why pick each one
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
Choose rustypaste if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Lufi or rustypaste better?
rustypaste is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Lufi if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Lufi and rustypaste free and open-source?
Yes. Lufi is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and rustypaste under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lufi and rustypaste with Docker?
Lufi: yes. rustypaste: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Lufi or rustypaste?
rustypaste has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Lufi. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.