PeerTube vs ydl_api_ng

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

Not the right match-up?
FeaturePeerTubeydl_api_ng
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageTypeScriptPython
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM2,048 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metalbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 15,236★ 240
First released20182020
ReplacesYouTube, Vimeo

Why pick each one

Choose PeerTube if…

  • Reduces bandwidth via P2P
  • Federates with the Fediverse
PeerTube details

Choose ydl_api_ng if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Written in Python
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
ydl_api_ng details

Frequently asked questions

Is PeerTube or ydl_api_ng better?

Neither is universally better. PeerTube has the larger community, while ydl_api_ng is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are PeerTube and ydl_api_ng free and open-source?

Yes. PeerTube is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and ydl_api_ng under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run PeerTube and ydl_api_ng with Docker?

PeerTube: yes. ydl_api_ng: check the project docs for container support.

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