head to head · open source
azerothcore-wotlk vs LinuxGSM
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,945 GitHub stars, 3,806 forks, 2,445 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. LinuxGSM has 4,903 stars, 863 forks, 405 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. azerothcore-wotlk leads on adoption by 82% (8,945 vs 4,903 stars). azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ under GPL-2.0; LinuxGSM is written in Shell under MIT. azerothcore-wotlk has attracted 43% as many forks as stars, LinuxGSM 18%. azerothcore-wotlk was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 3 topic tags (game, game-server, gaming), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| azerothcore-wotlk | LinuxGSM | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.9K | ★ 4.9K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | C++ | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-08-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 863 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick azerothcore-wotlk if
- You weight community size — 8.9K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick LinuxGSM if
- You want the LinuxGSM feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and LinuxGSM fits your workflow better
About azerothcore-wotlk
AzerothCore (azerothcore wotlk) is an open source, modular C++ game server and framework that recreates the World of Warcraft patch 3.3.5a experience, built for people who want to run and extend their own MMORPG server rather than pay for one.
read the full azerothcore-wotlk overview →
About LinuxGSM
LinuxGSM is an MIT licensed, Shell based command line tool that deploys and manages more than one hundred dedicated Linux game servers, built for administrators who want to run their own multiplayer servers without spending hours on manual setup and upkeep.
read the full LinuxGSM overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is azerothcore-wotlk or LinuxGSM more popular?
azerothcore-wotlk has 8,945 GitHub stars and LinuxGSM has 4,903. azerothcore-wotlk has the larger community by that measure.
Are azerothcore-wotlk and LinuxGSM free?
Both are open source. azerothcore-wotlk is licensed under GPL-2.0 and LinuxGSM under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between azerothcore-wotlk and LinuxGSM?
azerothcore-wotlk is written in C++ and LinuxGSM in Shell. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, azerothcore-wotlk or LinuxGSM?
Choose azerothcore-wotlk if you want the larger community (8,945 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose LinuxGSM if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.