Construct vs Dendrite
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Construct
High-performance Matrix homeserver written in C++
VS
Dendrite
Second-generation Matrix homeserver written in Go
| Feature | Construct | Dendrite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 395 | ★ 5,632 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Construct if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Construct or Dendrite better?
Dendrite is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Construct if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Construct and Dendrite free and open-source?
Yes. Construct is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Dendrite under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Construct and Dendrite with Docker?
Construct: check the project docs for container support. Dendrite: yes.