head to head · open source
Files vs dufs
Files has 46,461 GitHub stars, 3,012 forks, 458 open issues and last shipped yesterday. dufs has 11,021 stars, 615 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Files leads on adoption by 322% (46,461 vs 11,021 stars). Files is written in C# under MIT; dufs is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. Files has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, dufs 6%. Files was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| Files | dufs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 11K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C# | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 615 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Files if
- You weight community size — 46K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick dufs if
- You want the dufs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and dufs fits your workflow better
About Files
Files is a modern file manager that helps users organize their files and folders. Our mission with Files is to build the best file manager for Windows, and we’re proud to be building it out in the open so everyone can participate. User feedback helps shape the features we work on, & the bug reports on GitHub help to make Files more reliable. Built and maintained by the open source community, Files features robust multitasking experiences, file tags, deep integrations, and an intuitive design. Installing and running Files Files is a community driven project that depends on your support to grow and improve. Please…
read the full Files overview →
About dufs
Dufs Dufs is a distinctive utility file server that supports static serving, uploading, searching, accessing control, webdav... Features Serve static files Download folder as zip file Upload files and folders (Drag & Drop) Create/Edit/Search files Resumable/partial uploads/downloads Access control Support https Support webdav Easy to use with curl Install With cargo With docker With Homebrew Binaries on macOS, Linux, Windows Download from Github Releases, unzip and add dufs to your $PATH. CLI Examples Serve current working directory in read only mode Allow all operations like upload/delete/search/create/edit…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Files or dufs more popular?
Files has 46,461 GitHub stars and dufs has 11,021. Files has the larger community by that measure.
Are Files and dufs free?
Both are open source. Files is licensed under MIT and dufs under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Files and dufs?
Files is written in C# and dufs in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Files or dufs?
Choose Files if you want the larger community (46,461 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose dufs if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.