Moonlight vs Selkies
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Moonlight | Selkies |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,748 | ★ 2,194 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Parsec, Steam Remote Play | Parsec |
What are Moonlight and Selkies?
Moonlight
Moonlight is an open-source client implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol that streams games and full desktops from a host PC. Paired with Sunshine, it enables a fully self-hosted remote desktop and gaming setup.
- Low-latency desktop streaming
- Works with Sunshine host
- Hardware-accelerated decoding
- Many client platforms
Selkies
Selkies is an open-source platform for streaming Linux desktops and apps to a browser over WebRTC with low latency. It supports GPU acceleration for demanding workloads.
- WebRTC desktop streaming
- GPU acceleration support
- Low-latency input
- Kubernetes ready
Moonlight vs Selkies: key differences
Moonlight is written in C++, while Selkies is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Moonlight versus MPL-2.0 for Selkies. Moonlight is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Selkies. Moonlight is the more established project (first released 2015), while Selkies arrived in 2019. Moonlight has the considerably larger community, at 18,748 GitHub stars versus 2,194. Selkies lists first-class Docker deployment; Moonlight does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Moonlight if…
- Very low latency
- Wide client platform support
- HDR and 4K streaming
Watch out for
- Requires separate host software
- Best on strong networks
Choose Selkies if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Moonlight or Selkies better?
Moonlight is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Selkies if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Moonlight and Selkies free and open-source?
Yes. Moonlight is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Selkies under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Moonlight and Selkies with Docker?
Moonlight: check the project docs for container support. Selkies: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Moonlight or Selkies?
Moonlight has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Selkies. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.