# Discourse vs signserver-ce

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Discourse | signserver-ce |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #2 of 2 in PKI |
| GitHub stars | 48 029 ✓ | 440 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +133 ✓ | +4 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 2 ✓ |
| Latest release | _gh-attach-assets · 15 Jul 2026 | v7.7.1 · 26 Aug 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Main language | Ruby | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Discourse scores 83/100 against 51/100 for signserver-ce, so it is the safer default.

signserver-ce ships more often: 2 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Discourse.

If you want the quickest setup, Discourse is easier to run; signserver-ce needs more configuration.

Discourse is growing faster right now (+133 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Discourse](https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/discourse.md)
- [signserver-ce](https://selfhost.directory/project/signserver-ce) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/signserver-ce.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-rocketchat)
- [Discourse vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-zulip)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-signserver-ce