SHSelfHostIndex

Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead vs Red Eclipse

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 RE Red Eclipse Fast-paced open-source arena first-person shooter
FeatureCataclysm: Dark Days AheadRed Eclipse
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseCC-BY-SA-3.0Zlib
LanguageC++C++
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, binary, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 12,896★ 528
First released20132011
ReplacesNetHackQuake, Unreal Tournament

Why pick each one

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

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

Choose Red Eclipse if…

  • Released under the Zlib license
  • Written in C++
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Red Eclipse details

Frequently asked questions

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

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

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

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

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