NakamavsShields
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Nakama | Shields | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 62 in Game Servers | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 13 603 | 27 331 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +61 | +129 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.41.0 · 18 Sept 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |
Which one should you pick?
Shields scores 80/100 against 76/100 for Nakama, so it is the safer default.
Nakama ships more often: 9 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.
If you want the quickest setup, Shields is easier to run; Nakama needs more configuration.
Shields is growing faster right now (+129 stars in 30 days).
Nakama details →Shields details →