pump.io vs Sharkey
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted social networks options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | pump.io | Sharkey |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Networks | Social Networks |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,239 | ★ 600 |
| First released | 2013 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Twitter, Mastodon |
Why pick each one
Choose pump.io if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Sharkey if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is pump.io or Sharkey better?
Neither is universally better. pump.io has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are pump.io and Sharkey free and open-source?
Yes. pump.io is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Sharkey under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pump.io and Sharkey with Docker?
pump.io: check the project docs for container support. Sharkey: yes.