Magic Wormhole 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 | Magic Wormhole | rustypaste |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,946 | ★ 1,207 |
| First released | 2016 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, AirDrop | WeTransfer, Imgur |
What are Magic Wormhole and rustypaste?
Magic Wormhole
Magic Wormhole is a library and CLI tool for securely transferring files and directories between computers. It uses short human-pronounceable codes and PAKE encryption for safe transfers.
- PAKE-based encryption
- Human-readable transfer codes
- Self-hostable relay and mailbox
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
Magic Wormhole vs rustypaste: key differences
Magic Wormhole is written in Python, while rustypaste is built with Rust. Magic Wormhole is the more established project (first released 2016), while rustypaste arrived in 2021. Magic Wormhole has the considerably larger community, at 22,946 GitHub stars versus 1,207. Rustypaste lists first-class Docker deployment; Magic Wormhole does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Magic Wormhole if…
- Dead-simple pairing codes
- End-to-end encrypted
- No account needed
Watch out for
- Terminal-based workflow
- Both ends online simultaneously
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 Magic Wormhole or rustypaste better?
Neither is universally better. Magic Wormhole has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Magic Wormhole and rustypaste free and open-source?
Yes. Magic Wormhole is licensed under MIT and rustypaste under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Magic Wormhole and rustypaste with Docker?
Magic Wormhole: check the project docs for container support. rustypaste: yes.