DSpace
Turnkey repository application providing durable access to digital resources.
DSpace vs Samvera Hyrax
Two self-hosted Document Management - Institutional Repository and Digital Library Software apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| DSpace | Samvera Hyrax | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Turnkey repository application providing durable access to digital resources. | Front-end for the Samvera framework, which itself is a Ruby on Rails application for browsing and managing Fedora-based digital repositories. |
| GitHub stars | 1,109 | 201 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 2.2k | 656 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-06 | 2026-11-05 |
| Latest release | dspace-9.4 (2026-09-14) | hyrax-v5.3.1 (2026-10-02) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Language / platform | Java | Ruby |
| Docker Hub image | dspace/dspace | – |
| Docker pulls | 869.5k | – |
| Est. server size | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $10/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | Document Management - Institutional Repository and Digital Library Software | Document Management - Institutional Repository and Digital Library Software |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- DSpace is more popular on GitHub: 1.1k stars vs 201 for Samvera Hyrax.
- DSpace had more commits in the last 12 months (2,248 vs 656).
- Samvera Hyrax published a release more recently (hyrax-v5.3.1 on 2026-10-02; DSpace's latest is dspace-9.4 on 2026-09-14).
- DSpace is licensed under BSD-3-Clause, Samvera Hyrax under Apache-2.0.
- DSpace is written in Java; Samvera Hyrax in Ruby.
- Only DSpace has a Docker Hub image that we detected (dspace/dspace).
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Samvera Hyrax (~1 GB server) than DSpace (~2 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: DSpace leads on GitHub popularity, commit activity and Docker Hub availability. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-15. It does not rate features or quality.
Get the Docker images
DSpace
docker pull dspace/dspaceImage on Docker Hub. Ports, volumes and environment variables differ per app; follow the official docs.
Frequently asked questions
Is DSpace or Samvera Hyrax more popular?
DSpace has more GitHub stars (1,109 vs 201 for Samvera Hyrax, as of 2026-11-15). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, DSpace or Samvera Hyrax?
DSpace had more commits over the last 12 months (2,248 vs 656). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-06 for DSpace and 2026-11-05 for Samvera Hyrax. Our health labels: DSpace is “Active”, Samvera Hyrax is “Active”.
What licenses do DSpace and Samvera Hyrax use?
DSpace: BSD-3-Clause. Samvera Hyrax: Apache-2.0.
Can I run DSpace and Samvera Hyrax with Docker?
DSpace has a Docker Hub image (dspace/dspace). We did not find one for Samvera Hyrax; check its documentation for install options.
Read more
Samvera Hyrax
Front-end for the Samvera framework, which itself is a Ruby on Rails application for browsing and managing Fedora-based digital repositories.
Browse all self-hosted Document Management - Institutional Repository and Digital Library Software apps.