DiscoursevsGiraffile
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Discourse | Giraffile | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 45/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #62 of 86 in File Sharing |
| GitHub stars | 48 029 | 187 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +133 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 1 |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 | versions · 19 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Ruby | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Discourse scores 83/100 against 45/100 for Giraffile, so it is the safer default.
If you want the quickest setup, Giraffile is easier to run; Discourse needs more configuration.
Discourse is growing faster right now (+133 stars in 30 days).
Discourse details →Giraffile details →