Nakama vs WorldEdit

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?
FeatureNakamaWorldEdit
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseApache-2.0GPL-3.0
LanguageGoJava
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, binarybare-metal
GitHub stars★ 13,121★ 3,491
First released20172010
ReplacesPlayFab, Firebasecommercial map editing tools

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 WorldEdit if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (3.5k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Java
WorldEdit details

Frequently asked questions

Is Nakama or WorldEdit better?

Neither is universally better. Nakama has the larger community, while WorldEdit is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Nakama and WorldEdit free and open-source?

Yes. Nakama is licensed under Apache-2.0 and WorldEdit under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Nakama and WorldEdit with Docker?

Nakama: yes. WorldEdit: check the project docs for container support.

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