PrivateBin vs Ghostbin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted pastebins & snippets options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
PrivateBin
Minimalist pastebin with zero-knowledge encryption
VS
Ghostbin
Archived
Feature-rich pastebin engine behind the Ghostbin service
| Feature | PrivateBin | Ghostbin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 7 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Pastebins & Snippets | Pastebins & Snippets |
| License | Zlib | MIT |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,610 | ★ 188 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Pastebin.com | Pastebin.com, GitHub Gist |
What are PrivateBin and Ghostbin?
PrivateBin
PrivateBin is a minimalist, open-source online pastebin where the server has zero knowledge of pasted data. Content is encrypted and decrypted in the browser, with options for expiration, password, and burn-after-reading.
- Zero-knowledge encryption
- Burn after reading
- Password protection
- Discussion and expiry options
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
PrivateBin vs Ghostbin: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Ghostbin's repository is archived and no longer developed, while PrivateBin is actively maintained. PrivateBin is written in PHP, while Ghostbin is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Zlib for PrivateBin versus MIT for Ghostbin. Ghostbin is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for PrivateBin. PrivateBin is the more established project (first released 2012), while Ghostbin arrived in 2014. PrivateBin has the considerably larger community, at 8,610 GitHub stars versus 188.
Why pick each one
Choose PrivateBin if…
- Released under the Zlib license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.6k GitHub stars
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 PrivateBin or Ghostbin better?
PrivateBin 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 PrivateBin and Ghostbin free and open-source?
Yes. PrivateBin is licensed under Zlib and Ghostbin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PrivateBin and Ghostbin with Docker?
PrivateBin: yes. Ghostbin: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, PrivateBin or Ghostbin?
Ghostbin has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for PrivateBin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.