# octelium vs Shields

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

| | octelium | Shields |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 59/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #22 of 56 in VPN | #6 of 166 in Developer Tools |
| GitHub stars | 4 134 | 27 331 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +64 | +125 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 21 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.47.0 · 24 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |

## Which one should you pick?

Shields scores 80/100 against 59/100 for octelium, so it is the safer default.

octelium ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Shields.

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

## Details

- [octelium](https://selfhost.directory/project/octelium) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/octelium.md)
- [Shields](https://selfhost.directory/project/shields) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/shields.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/octelium-vs-shields