LXD Dashboard vs Portainer CE
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
LXD Dashboard
Makes it easy for you to take control of your LXD based infrastructure
VS
Portainer CE
Lightweight management UI for Docker and Kubernetes
| Feature | LXD Dashboard | Portainer CE |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Zlib |
| Language | Hack | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 347 | ★ 38,184 |
| First released | 2023 | 2016 |
| Replaces | — | Rancher, Docker Desktop |
Why pick each one
Choose LXD Dashboard if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Hack
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is LXD Dashboard or Portainer CE better?
Neither is universally better. Portainer CE has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are LXD Dashboard and Portainer CE free and open-source?
Yes. LXD Dashboard is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and Portainer CE under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LXD Dashboard and Portainer CE with Docker?
LXD Dashboard: check the project docs for container support. Portainer CE: yes.