MastodonvsZed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mastodon | Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #4 of 78 in Security |
| GitHub stars | 50 458 | 16 058 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +139 | +243 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 | 31 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 | w2026-10-23 · 23 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon scores 82/100 against 80/100 for Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP), so it is the safer default.
Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 31 for Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP).
If you want the quickest setup, Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.
Mastodon details →Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) details →