Construct vs Openfire
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
Openfire
Real-time collaboration XMPP server written in Java
| Feature | Construct | Openfire |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 395 | ★ 3,052 |
| First released | 2018 | 2004 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
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 Openfire better?
Openfire 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 Openfire free and open-source?
Yes. Construct is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Openfire under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Construct and Openfire with Docker?
Construct: check the project docs for container support. Openfire: yes.