GiraffilevsMastodon
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Giraffile | Mastodon | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #62 of 86 in File Sharing | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 187 | 50 459 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +139 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 42 |
| Latest release | versions · 19 Aug 2026 | v4.4.27 · 29 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Ruby |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon scores 82/100 against 45/100 for Giraffile, so it is the safer default.
Mastodon ships more often: 42 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for Giraffile.
If you want the quickest setup, Giraffile is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.
Mastodon is growing faster right now (+139 stars in 30 days).
Giraffile details →Mastodon details →
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