Mitra vs snac
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Mitra
Federated microblogging server with crypto integration
VS
snac
Minimalist ActivityPub server in C
| Feature | Mitra | snac |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 900 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon | Twitter, Mastodon |
What are Mitra and snac?
Mitra
Mitra is a lightweight, federated microblogging server written in Rust that implements ActivityPub. It is designed for small instances and includes optional integration with cryptocurrency-based features.
- Lightweight Rust server
- ActivityPub federation
- Small-instance focus
- Low resource usage
snac
snac is a minimalist, lightweight ActivityPub instance server written in C with very low resource requirements. It implements the core fediverse features without a database or heavy runtime.
- Tiny C implementation
- No database needed
- ActivityPub federation
- Runs on minimal hardware
Mitra vs snac: key differences
Mitra is written in Rust, while snac is built with C. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Mitra versus MIT for snac. Snac is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mitra. Snac has the considerably larger community, at 900 GitHub stars versus 200. Mitra lists first-class Docker deployment; snac does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Mitra if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose snac if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Mitra or snac better?
Neither is universally better. snac has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mitra and snac free and open-source?
Yes. Mitra is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and snac under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mitra and snac with Docker?
Mitra: yes. snac: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Mitra or snac?
snac has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mitra. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.