# Best open source pastebins > The best open source pastebin is Karakeep, with 29,464 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; SilverBullet and PrivateBin are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Karakeep leads for solo developers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 21 apps in the pastebins category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source pastebin? | | Picks | 15 | | Top pick | Karakeep (29,464 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pastebins | ## Top picks 10 of the 21 apps in the pastebins category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Karakeep](https://appsgit.com/apps/karakeep) (29,464 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Karakeep has 29,464 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 824 commits in the last year; it replaces Pocket. - [SilverBullet](https://appsgit.com/apps/silverbullet) (6,226 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): SilverBullet has 6,226 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,280 commits in the last year; it replaces Obsidian. - [PrivateBin](https://appsgit.com/apps/privatebin) (8,651 stars, Zlib, PHP): PrivateBin has 8,651 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license and had 615 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. - [Password Pusher](https://appsgit.com/apps/password-pusher) (3,212 stars, Apache-2.0, Ruby, Docker): Password Pusher has 3,212 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,045 commits in the last year. - [Yopass](https://appsgit.com/apps/yopass) (3,164 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Yopass has 3,164 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,051 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. - [Opengist](https://appsgit.com/apps/opengist) (3,370 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Opengist has 3,370 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 179 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. - [ByteStash](https://appsgit.com/apps/bytestash) (2,546 stars, GPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): ByteStash has 2,546 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 65 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. - [Wastebin](https://appsgit.com/apps/wastebin) (866 stars, MIT, Rust, Docker): Wastebin has 866 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 154 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. - [paaster](https://appsgit.com/apps/paaster) (566 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): paaster has 566 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 400 commits in the last year. - [rustypaste](https://appsgit.com/apps/rustypaste) (1,210 stars, MIT, Rust): rustypaste has 1,210 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 114 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. ## Best for solo developers Ranked for solo developers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Karakeep](https://appsgit.com/apps/karakeep) (29,464 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Karakeep has 29,464 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 824 commits in the last year; it replaces Pocket. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [SilverBullet](https://appsgit.com/apps/silverbullet) (6,226 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker): SilverBullet has 6,226 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image, is written in TypeScript and had 1,280 commits in the last year; it replaces Obsidian. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Password Pusher](https://appsgit.com/apps/password-pusher) (3,212 stars, Apache-2.0, Ruby, Docker): Password Pusher has 3,212 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Ruby and had 1,045 commits in the last year. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Yopass](https://appsgit.com/apps/yopass) (3,164 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Yopass has 3,164 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image, is written in Go and had 1,051 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. For solo developers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [PrivateBin](https://appsgit.com/apps/privatebin) (8,651 stars, Zlib, PHP): PrivateBin has 8,651 GitHub stars, uses the Zlib license, is written in PHP and had 615 commits in the last year; it replaces Pastebin. For solo developers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 21 apps in the pastebins category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is Karakeep free? Yes. Karakeep is open-source software released under the AGPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Which open source pastebin is best for a solo developer? Karakeep ranks first for solo developers, with 29,464 GitHub stars, the AGPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; SilverBullet and Password Pusher follow. The solo developers ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Can I self-host these pastebins with Docker? Yes, 8 of the 10 picks. Karakeep, SilverBullet and Password Pusher publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide. ### Are all of these pastebins open source? All 10 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license. ### Which of these pastebins is the most actively developed? SilverBullet, with 1,280 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, 2.11.1, from September 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source file sharing app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-file-sharing) - [What is the best open source note-taking app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-note-taking-apps) - [What is the best open source URL shortener?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-url-shorteners) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source team chat app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-team-chat) - [What is the best open source reverse proxy?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-reverse-proxies) - [What is the best open source self-hosted dashboard?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-dashboards) ## See also - [All pastebins apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/pastebins) - [All file sharing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/file-sharing) - [All bookmarks & link sharing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/bookmarks) - [Open-source alternatives to Pocket](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/pocket) - [Open-source alternatives to Obsidian](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/obsidian) - [Open-source alternatives to Pastebin](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/pastebin) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-pastebins Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. 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