Horde Kronolith vs Xandikos
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted calendar & contacts options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Horde Kronolith | Xandikos |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 80 · Excellent |
| Category | Calendar & Contacts | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10 | ★ 606 |
| First released | 2003 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google Calendar, Exchange | Google Calendar, iCloud |
What are Horde Kronolith and Xandikos?
Horde Kronolith
Kronolith is the calendar component of the Horde groupware framework. It provides shared calendars, event management, and supports CalDAV synchronization with desktop and mobile clients.
- Part of Horde groupware
- Shared calendar support
- CalDAV synchronization
Xandikos
Xandikos is a lightweight CalDAV and CardDAV server that stores all data in a Git repository. This gives version history for every calendar and contact change with minimal infrastructure.
- Git-backed storage with history
- No database required
- Lightweight footprint
Horde Kronolith vs Xandikos: key differences
Horde Kronolith is written in PHP, while Xandikos is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Horde Kronolith versus GPL-3.0 for Xandikos. Xandikos is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Horde Kronolith. Horde Kronolith is the more established project (first released 2003), while Xandikos arrived in 2016. Xandikos has the considerably larger community, at 606 GitHub stars versus 10. Xandikos lists first-class Docker deployment; Horde Kronolith does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Horde Kronolith if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Xandikos if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Horde Kronolith or Xandikos better?
Xandikos is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Horde Kronolith if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Horde Kronolith and Xandikos free and open-source?
Yes. Horde Kronolith is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Xandikos under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Horde Kronolith and Xandikos with Docker?
Horde Kronolith: check the project docs for container support. Xandikos: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Horde Kronolith or Xandikos?
Xandikos has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Horde Kronolith. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.