Pastefy vs Ghostbin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pastefy
Modern pastebin with folders, encryption, and an API
VS
Ghostbin
Archived
Feature-rich pastebin engine behind the Ghostbin service
| Feature | Pastefy | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 70 · Good | 7 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 457 | ★ 188 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are Pastefy and Ghostbin?
Pastefy
Pastefy is a modern, open-source pastebin application with a clean interface. It supports client-side encryption, multi-paste folders, an extensive API, and optional user accounts.
- Client-side encryption
- Multi-paste folders
- Full REST API
- Optional accounts
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
Pastefy vs Ghostbin: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Ghostbin's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Pastefy is actively maintained. Pastefy is written in Vue, while Ghostbin is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Pastefy versus MIT for Ghostbin. Ghostbin is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Pastefy. Ghostbin is the more established project (first released 2014), while Pastefy arrived in 2019. Pastefy has the considerably larger community, at 457 GitHub stars versus 188.
Why pick each one
Choose Pastefy if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Vue
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
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 Pastefy or Ghostbin better?
Neither is universally better. Pastefy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Pastefy and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. Pastefy is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pastefy and Ghostbin with Docker?
Pastefy: yes. Ghostbin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pastefy or Ghostbin?
Ghostbin has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Pastefy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.