Phanpy vs Streams
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client
VS
Streams
Decentralized social server with nomadic identity
| Feature | Phanpy | Streams |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,492 | ★ 100 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads | Facebook, Mastodon |
What are Phanpy and Streams?
Phanpy
Minimalistic opinionated Fediverse ⁂ web client.
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
Phanpy vs Streams: key differences
Phanpy is written in JavaScript, while Streams is built with PHP. Phanpy is the lighter option, starting around 100 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streams. Streams is the more established project (first released 2021), while Phanpy arrived in 2024. Phanpy has the considerably larger community, at 1,492 GitHub stars versus 100. Streams lists first-class Docker deployment; Phanpy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Phanpy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Streams if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is Phanpy or Streams better?
Phanpy is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Streams if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Phanpy and Streams free and open-source?
Yes. Phanpy is licensed under MIT and Streams under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Phanpy and Streams with Docker?
Phanpy: check the project docs for container support. Streams: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Phanpy or Streams?
Phanpy has the smaller minimum footprint at 100 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streams. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.