Nakama vs Red Eclipse

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

Not the right match-up?
FeatureNakamaRed Eclipse
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseApache-2.0Zlib
LanguageGoC++
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybinary, source
GitHub stars★ 13,121★ 528
First released20172011
ReplacesPlayFab, FirebaseQuake, Unreal Tournament

Why pick each one

Choose Nakama if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 13.1k GitHub stars
Nakama details

Choose Red Eclipse if…

  • Released under the Zlib license
  • Written in C++
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Red Eclipse details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or Red Eclipse better?

Neither is universally better. Nakama has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Nakama and Red Eclipse free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Red Eclipse under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and Red Eclipse with Docker?

Nakama: yes. Red Eclipse: check the project docs for container support.

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