Mindustry vs Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeatureMindustryCataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0CC-BY-SA-3.0
LanguageJavaC++
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binary, sourcebare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 28,532★ 12,896
First released20172013
ReplacesFactorioNetHack

Why pick each one

Choose Mindustry if…

  • Lightweight server
  • Large active community
Mindustry details

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Frequently asked questions

Is Mindustry or Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead better?

Mindustry is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Mindustry and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead free and open-source?

Yes. Mindustry is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead under CC-BY-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Mindustry and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with Docker?

Mindustry: yes. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support.

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