Chibisafe vs Zipline: File Upload Hosts Compared

Quick Verdict

Zipline is the better choice if you want a full-featured file hosting platform with URL shortening, text paste, embed customization, and a stats dashboard. Chibisafe wins if you want a lightweight, clean file uploader with album support and minimal dependencies. Both integrate with ShareX, but Zipline gives you more to work with out of the box.

Overview

Chibisafe and Zipline solve the same core problem: give you a private file upload service you control, with shareable links and screenshot tool integration. They diverge sharply in scope and philosophy.

Chibisafe is a focused file upload and gallery service built on Fastify with SQLite storage via Prisma. It does one thing well — accept file uploads, organize them into albums, and serve them with a clean modern UI. No database server required. Minimal resource footprint.

Zipline is a feature-rich file host built on Next.js with PostgreSQL. Beyond file uploads, it handles URL shortening, text/code paste with syntax highlighting, Open Graph embed customization, invite systems, and a dashboard packed with upload statistics. It is the Swiss Army knife approach to self-hosted file sharing.

Both are MIT-licensed, actively maintained, and written in Node.js. The choice comes down to whether you want simplicity or features.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Chibisafe	Zipline
File uploads	Yes	Yes
Album/gallery support	Yes	Yes (folders)
URL shortening	No	Yes
Text/code paste	No	Yes (with syntax highlighting)
Open Graph embeds	Basic	Fully customizable
Upload statistics dashboard	Basic	Detailed (charts, per-user stats)
ShareX/Flameshot integration	Yes	Yes
Multi-user support	Yes	Yes (with invite system)
API	REST API	REST API
Database	SQLite (via Prisma)	PostgreSQL (required)
Thumbnail generation	Yes	Yes
File expiration	No	Yes (configurable TTL)
Two-factor authentication	No	Yes (TOTP)
S3/external storage	No	Yes (S3-compatible backends)
Chunked uploads	Yes	Yes
License	MIT	MIT
Framework	Fastify	Next.js

Docker Compose Setup

Chibisafe

Chibisafe needs no external database — SQLite is embedded. This makes the Compose file straightforward.

Create a docker-compose.yml:

services:
  chibisafe:
    image: chibisafe/chibisafe:6.5.0
    container_name: chibisafe
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8100:8100"
    volumes:
      - chibisafe-data:/app/uploads
      - chibisafe-db:/app/database
    environment:
      # Base URL where Chibisafe is accessible (include protocol, no trailing slash)
      - BASE_URL=https://files.example.com
      # Secret used for signing sessions and tokens — CHANGE THIS
      - SECRET=change-this-to-a-long-random-string
      # Maximum file size in bytes (default: 100MB)
      - MAX_SIZE=104857600
    networks:
      - chibisafe-net

networks:
  chibisafe-net:

volumes:
  chibisafe-data:
  chibisafe-db:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Access the web UI at http://your-server:8100. The default admin credentials are admin / admin — change them immediately after first login.

Zipline

Zipline requires PostgreSQL. The Compose file is heavier but still manageable.

Create a docker-compose.yml:

services:
  zipline:
    image: ghcr.io/diced/zipline:3.7.10
    container_name: zipline
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - zipline-uploads:/zipline/uploads
      - zipline-public:/zipline/public
    environment:
      # Core settings
      - CORE_SECRET=change-this-to-a-long-random-string
      - CORE_HOST=0.0.0.0
      - CORE_PORT=3000
      - CORE_DATABASE_URL=postgresql://zipline:zipline-db-password@zipline-db:5432/zipline
      # Website settings
      - WEBSITE_TITLE=Zipline
      - WEBSITE_SHOW_FILES_PER_PAGE=50
      # Uploader settings — max file size in MB
      - UPLOADER_DEFAULT_MAX_FILE_SIZE=100
      # Features
      - FEATURES_INVITES=true
      - FEATURES_OAUTH_REGISTRATION=false
      - URLS_ROUTE=/go
    depends_on:
      zipline-db:
        condition: service_healthy
    networks:
      - zipline-net

  zipline-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    container_name: zipline-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=zipline
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=zipline-db-password
      - POSTGRES_DB=zipline
    volumes:
      - zipline-pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U zipline"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    networks:
      - zipline-net

networks:
  zipline-net:

volumes:
  zipline-uploads:
  zipline-pgdata:
  zipline-public:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Access the web UI at http://your-server:3000. Create your admin account on first visit.

Important: Change CORE_SECRET and POSTGRES_PASSWORD to strong random values before deploying. These are shown as placeholders.

Installation Complexity

Chibisafe is simpler to deploy. One container, no external database, minimal configuration. You can have it running in under two minutes. The SQLite backend means zero database management — no backups of a separate database process, no connection pooling concerns, no PostgreSQL version upgrades.

Zipline requires PostgreSQL, which adds a second container, a health check dependency, and database credentials to manage. The tradeoff is that PostgreSQL handles concurrent writes and large datasets better than SQLite. If you expect heavy multi-user usage or tens of thousands of uploads, PostgreSQL is the right call. For a personal or small-team file host, the extra complexity is harder to justify.

ShareX Integration

Both services work as ShareX custom uploader destinations, which is the primary use case for most people deploying either one.

Chibisafe provides a ShareX-compatible API endpoint out of the box. Generate an API key from the admin panel, then configure ShareX with the upload URL https://your-domain/api/upload and the API key as a header (x-api-key). Chibisafe also supports Flameshot and other screenshot tools that can POST to an HTTP endpoint.

Zipline generates a ready-to-import ShareX configuration file directly from its dashboard. Click the ShareX button in settings, download the .sxcu file, and double-click it to import into ShareX. No manual endpoint configuration needed. Zipline also supports custom embed templates, so when you share an uploaded image link on Discord or other platforms, the embed card shows your custom title, description, and color.

The ShareX setup experience is smoother with Zipline. Chibisafe works fine but requires manual configuration.

Performance and Resource Usage

Chibisafe is lighter. Fastify is one of the fastest Node.js frameworks, and SQLite adds negligible overhead. Expect around 80-120 MB of RAM at idle with minimal CPU usage. It is an excellent choice for low-power hardware like a Raspberry Pi or a cheap VPS.

Zipline uses more resources because of Next.js server-side rendering and the PostgreSQL dependency. The Zipline container alone uses 150-250 MB of RAM, and PostgreSQL adds another 50-100 MB. Total idle footprint is roughly 200-350 MB. Still modest by any standard, but noticeably more than Chibisafe.

Neither service is CPU-intensive unless you are processing a high volume of thumbnail generations simultaneously.

Use Cases

Choose Chibisafe If…

• You want a clean, simple file upload service without feature bloat
• You are running on low-spec hardware (Raspberry Pi, small VPS)
• You do not need URL shortening or text paste functionality
• You prefer SQLite simplicity over managing PostgreSQL
• You want album/gallery organization for uploaded files
• You are the only user or have a very small team

Choose Zipline If…

• You want URL shortening alongside file uploads
• You need text/code paste with syntax highlighting
• You want customizable Open Graph embeds for Discord and social media
• You plan to have multiple users with an invite system
• You want detailed upload statistics and a dashboard
• You need S3 or external storage backend support
• You want file expiration with configurable TTL

Final Verdict

Zipline is the better choice for most people who want a self-hosted ShareX backend. The URL shortening, text paste, embed customization, and stats dashboard make it a genuinely useful daily tool — not just a file dump. The PostgreSQL requirement is a minor inconvenience that Docker Compose handles transparently.

Pick Chibisafe if you specifically want a lightweight file uploader and nothing else. Its SQLite backend and single-container deployment make it ideal for resource-constrained environments or anyone who values simplicity over features. It does file uploads well and stays out of your way.

If you are on the fence: start with Zipline. You will use the extra features more than you expect, especially URL shortening and the paste functionality. If you find yourself only using the file upload and wishing the stack was simpler, switch to Chibisafe — the migration is just moving your files.

Related

• How to Self-Host Chibisafe
• How to Self-Host Zipline
• Best Self-Hosted File Sharing Tools
• How to Self-Host XBackBone
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Setup
• Backup Strategy