SHSelfHostIndex

Osada vs Zap

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

Not the right match-up?
OS Osada ActivityPub social server with nomadic features VS ZA Zap Decentralized social network with nomadic identity
FeatureOsadaZap
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectRead-the-docs project
CategorySocial NetworksSocial Networks
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyHardHard
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 20★ 50
First released20182018
ReplacesFacebook, TwitterFacebook, Twitter

What are Osada and Zap?

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

Zap

Zap is a decentralized communications platform from the Hubzilla and Streams lineage that supports nomadic identity, letting accounts move between servers. It federates over multiple protocols including ActivityPub.

  • Nomadic identity
  • Multi-protocol federation
  • Account portability
  • Fine-grained permissions

Osada vs Zap: key differences

Both projects are written in PHP. Zap has the considerably larger community, at 50 GitHub stars versus 20.

Why pick each one

Choose Osada if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Written in PHP
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Osada details

Choose Zap if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Written in PHP
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Zap details

Frequently asked questions

Is Osada or Zap better?

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

Are Osada and Zap free and open-source?

Yes. Osada is licensed under MIT and Zap under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Osada and Zap with Docker?

Osada: check the project docs for container support. Zap: check the project docs for container support.

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