bin vs Ghostbin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
bin
Minimal, paste-only server written in Rust
VS
Ghostbin
Archived
Feature-rich pastebin engine behind the Ghostbin service
| Feature | bin | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 8 · At risk | 7 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 311 | ★ 188 |
| First released | 2020 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are bin and Ghostbin?
bin
bin is an extremely minimal pastebin server written in Rust with no database and no configuration. It keeps pastes in memory and is designed to be small, fast, and easy to deploy.
- No database needed
- Tiny memory footprint
- Single binary
- Curl-friendly
Ghostbin
Ghostbin, whose engine is now called spectre, is a feature-rich, self-hosted pastebin offering syntax highlighting, paste expiration, and optional encryption. It is the open-source software that powered the public Ghostbin service.
- Syntax highlighting
- Optional encryption
- Paste expiration
- Self-hosted control
bin vs Ghostbin: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Ghostbin's repository is archived and no longer developed, while bin is actively maintained. Bin is written in Rust, while Ghostbin is built with JavaScript. Bin is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Ghostbin. Ghostbin is the more established project (first released 2014), while bin arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose bin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Rust
Choose Ghostbin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is bin or Ghostbin better?
bin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Ghostbin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are bin and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. bin is licensed under MIT and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bin and Ghostbin with Docker?
bin: yes. Ghostbin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, bin or Ghostbin?
bin has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Ghostbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.