Rygel vs Stash
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Rygel | Stash |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vala | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 13,007 |
| First released | 2008 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
What are Rygel and Stash?
Rygel
Rygel is a home media solution that allows you to share and stream audio, video, and images to UPnP and DLNA devices on your network. It is part of the GNOME project and integrates with the Linux desktop.
- UPnP/DLNA sharing
- GNOME desktop integration
- Pluggable backends
- Transcoding support
Stash
Stash is a self-hosted media organizer that catalogs video and image collections with rich metadata, tagging, and scraping. It targets users who want a deeply organized personal media archive. It is deployed via Docker or a single binary.
- Rich metadata and tagging
- Scraper and plugin system
- Built-in web player
- SQLite-backed storage
Rygel vs Stash: key differences
Rygel is written in Vala, while Stash is built with Go. Licensing differs — LGPL-2.1 for Rygel versus AGPL-3.0 for Stash. Rygel is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Stash. Rygel is the more established project (first released 2008), while Stash arrived in 2019. Stash has the considerably larger community, at 13,007 GitHub stars versus 200. Stash lists first-class Docker deployment; Rygel does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Rygel if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Written in Vala
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Linux desktop oriented
- No standalone UI
Choose Stash if…
- Powerful organization
- Extensible via plugins
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Single-user focused
- Niche feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Rygel or Stash better?
Stash is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rygel if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Rygel and Stash free and open-source?
Yes. Rygel is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and Stash under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rygel and Stash with Docker?
Rygel: check the project docs for container support. Stash: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Rygel or Stash?
Rygel has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Stash. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.