Hookshot vs Solanum
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hookshot | Solanum |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 79 · Good | 71 · Good |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 453 | ★ 262 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack | Slack, Discord |
What are Hookshot and Solanum?
Hookshot
Hookshot is a Matrix integration bridge that connects rooms to GitHub, GitLab, Jira, RSS feeds, and generic webhooks. It lets teams receive and act on notifications inside Matrix.
- GitHub, GitLab and Jira integration
- Generic inbound and outbound webhooks
- RSS and Atom feed support
- Interactive notification actions
Solanum
Solanum is an IRCv3 server daemon descended from the Charybdis lineage. It is the software that powers the Libera.Chat IRC network and is suitable for running large IRC infrastructures.
- Powers Libera.Chat
- IRCv3 protocol support
- Scales to large networks
- Charybdis-derived codebase
Hookshot vs Solanum: key differences
Hookshot is written in TypeScript, while Solanum is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Hookshot versus GPL-2.0 for Solanum. Solanum is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hookshot. Hookshot lists first-class Docker deployment; Solanum does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hookshot if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Requires a Matrix homeserver
- Configuration is YAML-heavy
Choose Solanum if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Hookshot or Solanum better?
Hookshot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Solanum if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Hookshot and Solanum free and open-source?
Yes. Hookshot is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Solanum under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hookshot and Solanum with Docker?
Hookshot: yes. Solanum: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Hookshot or Solanum?
Solanum has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hookshot. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.