rustypaste vs Send
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted file sync & storage options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | rustypaste | Send |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 37 · At risk |
| Category | File Sync & Storage | File Sync & Storage |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,207 | ★ 5,914 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WeTransfer, Imgur | WeTransfer, Firefox Send |
What are rustypaste and Send?
rustypaste
rustypaste is a minimal self-hosted file upload and pastebin service written in Rust. It supports expiring uploads, one-shot files, and command-line usage with curl.
- One-shot expiring uploads
- Curl-friendly API
- Minimal resource usage
Send
Send is a community-maintained fork of the discontinued Firefox Send. It provides end-to-end encrypted file sharing with links that expire after a download limit or time period.
- End-to-end encryption
- Expiring share links
- No account required
rustypaste vs Send: key differences
Rustypaste is written in Rust, while Send is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for rustypaste versus MPL-2.0 for Send. Rustypaste is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Send. Send has the considerably larger community, at 5,914 GitHub stars versus 1,207.
Why pick each one
Choose rustypaste if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
Choose Send if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5.9k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is rustypaste or Send better?
Neither is universally better. Send has the larger community, while rustypaste is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are rustypaste and Send free and open-source?
Yes. rustypaste is licensed under MIT and Send under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run rustypaste and Send with Docker?
rustypaste: yes. Send: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, rustypaste or Send?
rustypaste has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Send. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.