SHSelfHostIndex

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead vs Sponge

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 SP Sponge Modding API and plugin platform for Minecraft servers
FeatureCataclysm: Dark Days AheadSponge
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseCC-BY-SA-3.0MIT
LanguageC++Java
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcebare-metal
GitHub stars★ 12,896★ 434
First released20132014
ReplacesNetHackBukkit

Why pick each one

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

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

Choose Sponge if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Written in Java
Sponge details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead or Sponge 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 Sponge free and open-source?

Yes. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is licensed under CC-BY-SA-3.0 and Sponge under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead and Sponge with Docker?

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support. Sponge: check the project docs for container support.

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