# etcd vs Mastodon

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

| | etcd | Mastodon |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 ✓ | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 38 in Databases | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 52 432 ✓ | 50 456 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +125 | +137 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 38 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.7.3 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Ruby |

## Which one should you pick?

etcd scores 83/100 against 82/100 for Mastodon, so it is the safer default.

Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for etcd.

If you want the quickest setup, etcd is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.

## Details

- [etcd](https://selfhost.directory/project/etcd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/etcd.md)
- [Mastodon](https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/mastodon.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/etcd-vs-mastodon