Mindustry vs shapez.io
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mindustry | shapez.io |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 72 · Good |
| Category | Game Servers | Game Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 29,094 | ★ 6,976 |
| First released | 2017 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Factorio | Factorio |
What are Mindustry and shapez.io?
Mindustry
Mindustry is a free, open-source hybrid tower-defense and factory-building game. It includes a dedicated headless server for hosting cooperative and competitive multiplayer matches.
- Tower-defense plus factory gameplay
- Dedicated headless server
- Cooperative and PvP modes
- Mods and custom maps
shapez.io
shapez.io is the open-source version of the factory-building puzzle game shapez. It can be built and self-hosted to play in a browser, with players designing automated shape factories.
- Factory automation puzzles
- Runs in a web browser
- Offline play support
- Mod support
Mindustry vs shapez.io: key differences
Mindustry is written in Java, while shapez.io is built with JavaScript. Shapez.io is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mindustry. Mindustry is the more established project (first released 2017), while shapez.io arrived in 2020. Mindustry has the considerably larger community, at 29,094 GitHub stars versus 6,976. Mindustry lists first-class Docker deployment; shapez.io does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Mindustry if…
- Lightweight server
- Large active community
Watch out for
- Niche genre blend
- Server admin via console
Choose shapez.io if…
- Self-host the browser game
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Single-player only
- Full game has paid version
Frequently asked questions
Is Mindustry or shapez.io better?
Neither is universally better. Mindustry has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mindustry and shapez.io free and open-source?
Yes. Mindustry is licensed under GPL-3.0 and shapez.io under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mindustry and shapez.io with Docker?
Mindustry: yes. shapez.io: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Mindustry or shapez.io?
shapez.io has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mindustry. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.