SHSelfHostIndex

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead vs Scribble.rs

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

Not the right match-up?
CA Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead Open-source turn-based survival roguelike VS SC Scribble.rs A web-based pictionary game
FeatureCataclysm: Dark Days AheadScribble.rs
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseCC-BY-SA-3.0BSD-3-Clause
LanguageC++Go
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcedocker
GitHub stars★ 12,896★ 652
First released20132026
ReplacesNetHack—

Why pick each one

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Choose Scribble.rs if…

  • Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Go
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Scribble.rs details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead or Scribble.rs better?

Neither is universally better. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead and Scribble.rs free and open-source?

Yes. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0 and Scribble.rs under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead and Scribble.rs with Docker?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support. Scribble.rs: yes.

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