# Best open source software for crypto and web3

> For a crypto or web3 business, a self-hosted stack starts with BTCPay Server for accepting crypto payments, Ghostfolio for portfolio tracking and Discourse for community chat and forums. Each pick was chosen by hand for its job and is shown with GitHub data from October 2026.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What is the best open source software for crypto and web3 projects? |
| Picks | 16 |
| Top pick | BTCPay Server (7,786 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-crypto |

Crypto businesses tend to self-host for the same reason they hold their own keys: no third party between them and their funds or data. These apps cover payments, portfolio tracking, community and security.

Payment processors such as BTCPay Server run against your own wallet, so funds settle directly to you.

## Accept crypto payments

- [BTCPay Server](https://appsgit.com/apps/btcpay-server) (7,786 stars, MIT, C#): BTCPay Server has 7,786 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 707 commits in the last year.
- [Bitcart](https://appsgit.com/apps/bitcart) (987 stars, MIT, Python, Docker): Bitcart has 987 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 146 commits in the last year.
- [SHKeeper](https://appsgit.com/apps/shkeeper) (629 stars, GPL-3.0, Python): SHKeeper has 629 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license and had 126 commits in the last year.
- [DePay](https://appsgit.com/apps/depay) (135 stars, MIT, JavaScript): DePay has 135 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 21 commits in the last year.

## Portfolio and trading

- [Ghostfolio](https://appsgit.com/apps/ghostfolio) (9,402 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Ghostfolio has 9,402 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,449 commits in the last year; it replaces YNAB and Mint.
- [OctoBot](https://appsgit.com/apps/octobot) (6,679 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker, AI features): OctoBot has 6,679 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 660 commits in the last year.

## Community

- [Discourse](https://appsgit.com/apps/discourse) (47,933 stars, GPL-2.0, Ruby, Docker): Discourse has 47,933 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 6,794 commits in the last year; it replaces Reddit.
- [Element](https://appsgit.com/apps/element) (13,542 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript): Element has 13,542 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 2,689 commits in the last year; it replaces Slack and Discord.
- [Synapse](https://appsgit.com/apps/synapse) (4,681 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python): Synapse has 4,681 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 817 commits in the last year; it replaces Slack.
- [Lemmy](https://appsgit.com/apps/lemmy) (14,615 stars, AGPL-3.0, Rust, Docker): Lemmy has 14,615 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 301 commits in the last year; it replaces Discord and Twitter / X.

## Security and secrets

- [Vaultwarden](https://appsgit.com/apps/vaultwarden) (68,572 stars, AGPL-3.0, Rust, Docker): Vaultwarden has 68,572 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 181 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
- [Passbolt](https://appsgit.com/apps/passbolt) (6,149 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): Passbolt has 6,149 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,530 commits in the last year; it replaces Bitwarden and 1Password.
- [Keycloak](https://appsgit.com/apps/keycloak) (37,156 stars, Apache-2.0, Java, Docker): Keycloak has 37,156 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 3,157 commits in the last year; it replaces Auth0 and Okta.

## Monitoring

- [Uptime Kuma](https://appsgit.com/apps/uptime-kuma) (92,149 stars, MIT, JavaScript, Docker): Uptime Kuma has 92,149 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 1,359 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Uptime Robot.
- [Grafana](https://appsgit.com/apps/grafana) (77,096 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Grafana has 77,096 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 11,362 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Grafana Cloud.
- [Prometheus](https://appsgit.com/apps/prometheus) (66,381 stars, Apache-2.0, Go, Docker): Prometheus has 66,381 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,592 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog and Grafana Cloud.

## How this list was made

- Apps were picked by hand from the appsgit catalog for each job, then checked against the snapshot: unknown or archived projects and projects with no commit in two years are dropped automatically.
- Inside each section the curated order is kept, most broadly useful first; an app appears only once on the page.
- Stars, license, Docker and activity facts come from the GitHub API as of October 2026.

## FAQ

### Do self-hosted crypto payment processors hold my funds?

BTCPay Server, Bitcart and SHKeeper describe themselves as payment processors you run yourself, and DePay sends web3 payments peer-to-peer into your own wallet. Read each project's documentation for how it handles keys before going live.

### Is self-hosting safer than a hosted crypto service?

It removes the custodian, but it moves the security work to you: patching, backups, key storage and access control. Keep wallet keys off the payment server where the software allows it.

### Is BTCPay Server free?

Yes. BTCPay Server is open-source software released under the MIT 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.

### Can I run this stack with Docker?

11 of the 16 apps here publish Docker images, including Bitcart, Ghostfolio and OctoBot, so most of the stack can run side by side with Docker Compose on one server. Size the server for the heaviest app and add off-site backups.

## Related questions

- [What are the best open source AI tools for crypto and web3 teams?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-crypto)
- [What is the best open source software for banks and fintech companies?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-fintech)
- [What open source AI tools can banks and fintech companies self-host?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-for-banking)
- [What is the best open source software for hospitals and healthcare?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-hospitals)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for hospitals?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-hospitals)
- [What is the best open source software for e-commerce and retail?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-ecommerce)
- [What are the best open source AI tools for e-commerce stores?](https://appsgit.com/best/ai-tools-for-ecommerce)
- [What is the best open source software for real estate agencies?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-real-estate)

## See also

- [All finance & budgeting apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/finance-budgeting)
- [All social & forums apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/social-forums)
- [All team chat apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/team-chat)
- [All password managers apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/password-managers)
- [Open-source alternatives to YNAB](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/ynab)
- [Open-source alternatives to Mint](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/mint)
- [Open-source alternatives to Reddit](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/reddit)
- [Open-source alternatives to Slack](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/slack)
- [Open-source alternatives to Discord](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/discord)
- [Open-source alternatives to Twitter / X](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/twitter)
- [Vaultwarden vs Bitwarden](https://appsgit.com/compare/vaultwarden-vs-bitwarden)
- [Keycloak vs authentik](https://appsgit.com/compare/keycloak-vs-authentik)
- [Uptime Kuma vs Gatus](https://appsgit.com/compare/uptime-kuma-vs-gatus)
- [Grafana vs Metabase](https://appsgit.com/compare/grafana-vs-metabase)
- [How to self-host Vaultwarden with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/vaultwarden)
- [How to self-host Uptime Kuma with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/uptime-kuma)
- [How to self-host Grafana with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/grafana)
- [How to self-host Prometheus with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/prometheus)

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-software-for-crypto
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
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