shapez.io vs Battle for Wesnoth

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?
Featureshapez.ioBattle for Wesnoth
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageJavaScriptC++
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, sourcebare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 6,932★ 6,814
First released20202003
ReplacesFactorioHeroes of Might and Magic

Why pick each one

Choose shapez.io if…

  • Self-host the browser game
  • Lightweight
shapez.io details

Choose Battle for Wesnoth if…

  • Lightweight headless server
  • Huge content add-on library
Battle for Wesnoth details

Frequently asked questions

Is shapez.io or Battle for Wesnoth better?

Neither is universally better. shapez.io has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are shapez.io and Battle for Wesnoth free and open-source?

Yes. shapez.io is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Battle for Wesnoth under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run shapez.io and Battle for Wesnoth with Docker?

shapez.io: check the project docs for container support. Battle for Wesnoth: check the project docs for container support.

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