Osada vs Streams
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Osada | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2018 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Facebook, Twitter | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Osada and Streams?
Osada
Osada is a decentralized social networking server that speaks the ActivityPub protocol while incorporating nomadic identity concepts from the Zot ecosystem. It federates with Mastodon and other fediverse software.
- ActivityPub social server
- Nomadic identity features
- Federates with the fediverse
Streams
Streams is a free, decentralized social communication server that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move and clone between instances. It federates with the fediverse and offers fine-grained permissions.
- Nomadic identity
- Account cloning across servers
- Fediverse federation
- Granular permissions
Osada vs Streams: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Osada is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Osada is the more established project (first released 2018), while Streams arrived in 2021. Streams has the considerably larger community, at 100 GitHub stars versus 20. Streams lists first-class Docker deployment; Osada does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Osada if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Osada or Streams better?
Neither is universally better. Streams has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Osada and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Osada is licensed under MIT and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Osada and Streams with Docker?
Osada: check the project docs for container support. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Osada or Streams?
Osada has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.