Zelie compared with other panels
Game panels like Pterodactyl and Pelican run game servers. Coolify runs apps and databases. Zelie does both from one binary, with no PHP and no Docker, and it installs with one command.
Updated October 2026
01
Side by side
Install and upkeep
Install
- Zelie
- YesOne command, a few minutes
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyA long manual guide
- Pelican
- PartlyA manual guide
- Coolify
- YesOne command
No PHP stack to run
- Zelie
- YesOne Go binary
- Pterodactyl
- NoPHP, Laravel, a web server, MySQL and Redis
- Pelican
- NoPHP, Laravel and a web server
- Coolify
- NoPHP and Laravel, with PostgreSQL and Redis
Runs without Docker
- Zelie
- YesIts own containerd
- Pterodactyl
- NoWings needs Docker
- Pelican
- NoWings needs Docker
- Coolify
- NoBuilt on Docker
Light on memory
- Zelie
- YesUnder 66 MB, checked on every change
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyA PHP panel, a queue worker and Wings
- Pelican
- PartlyAbout 230 MB, before the database
- Coolify
- PartlyNeeds at least 2 GB of RAM
Updates from the panel
- Zelie
- YesOne click, rolls back by itself if it fails
- Pterodactyl
- NoBy hand, with commands
- Pelican
- NoBy hand, with commands
- Coolify
- YesOne click or automatic
Game servers
Pterodactyl and Pelican eggs
- Zelie
- Yes21 games ready, any other by its link
- Pterodactyl
- Yes
- Pelican
- Yes
- Coolify
- No
Console, files, SFTP, schedules
- Zelie
- Yes
- Pterodactyl
- Yes
- Pelican
- Yes
- Coolify
- No
Players and RCON tools
- Zelie
- YesRust and Minecraft, a player list for some Steam games
- Pterodactyl
- NoNot built in
- Pelican
- NoNot built in
- Coolify
- No
Safe passwords by default
- Zelie
- YesRCON and admin passwords get a random value
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyAs the egg sets them
- Pelican
- PartlyAs the egg sets them
- Coolify
- No
Steam updates
- Zelie
- YesChecks each hour, updates when nobody plays
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyOn start, if the egg does it
- Pelican
- PartlyOn start, if the egg does it
- Coolify
- No
Apps and databases
Deploy from GitHub on push
- Zelie
- Yes
- Pterodactyl
- No
- Pelican
- No
- Coolify
- Yes
Deploys without downtime, one-click rollback
- Zelie
- YesLast five versions kept
- Pterodactyl
- No
- Pelican
- No
- Coolify
- Yes
Automatic HTTPS for apps
- Zelie
- Yes
- Pterodactyl
- No
- Pelican
- No
- Coolify
- Yes
Databases
- Zelie
- YesPostgreSQL, MariaDB, Redis, with a data browser, linkable to game servers too
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyMySQL for game servers
- Pelican
- PartlyMySQL for game servers
- Coolify
- YesMany engines
Metrics
- Zelie
- YesRequests, errors, memory and CPU for a day
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyLive memory and CPU
- Pelican
- PartlyLive memory and CPU
- Coolify
- PartlyServer and container usage
Security
Two-step login
- Zelie
- YesRequired, with a passkey or an app
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyOptional
- Pelican
- PartlyOptional
- Coolify
- PartlyOptional
Nothing on the network runs as root
- Zelie
- YesThe root part has no port
- Pterodactyl
- NoWings runs as root on a public port
- Pelican
- NoWings runs as root on a public port
- Coolify
- NoReaches servers as root over SSH
Secrets the panel cannot read back
- Zelie
- Yes
- Pterodactyl
- No
- Pelican
- No
- Coolify
- No
Encrypted backups to S3
- Zelie
- YesEncrypted on the server
- Pterodactyl
- PartlyTo S3, not encrypted
- Pelican
- PartlyTo S3, not encrypted
- Coolify
- PartlyDatabase backups to S3
Coming later
Several machines from one panel
- Zelie
- Planned
- Pterodactyl
- Yes
- Pelican
- Yes
- Coolify
- Yes
Sub-users with their own permissions
- Zelie
- Planned
- Pterodactyl
- Yes
- Pelican
- Yes
- Coolify
- PartlyTeams
Docker Compose and one-click services
- Zelie
- No
- Pterodactyl
- No
- Pelican
- No
- Coolify
- Yes
Pterodactyl · Full comparison →Pelican · Full comparison →Coolify · Full comparison →
- Yes
- Partly
- Planned
- No
The other panels are described as they install by default. Memory figures were measured on idle servers: Zelie’s on every change in its test runs, Pelican’s on a live server.
02
Each comparison in detail
- Zelie vs Pterodactyl and PelicanThe same eggs without PHP or Docker, and how to move a server across.
- Zelie vs PelicanThe same eggs as Pelican, from one binary, and moving a server across.
- Zelie vs CoolifyApps from GitHub and databases, with game servers beside them.
- Deploy from GitHubPush-to-deploy app hosting on your own server.
03
Why one panel for everything
- Less to install
- One command sets up the panel, its proxy and its container engine. There is no PHP, no web server, no queue worker and no database server to look after.
- Less memory
- Zelie’s own processes stay under 66 MB when idle, and the test runs fail if they grow past it. That leaves the machine for your games and apps.
- Safer by design
- The part that runs as root has no network port. Every account needs a second login step, and secrets are sealed so the web panel cannot read them back.
- Updates itself
- A new release is one click on the Server page. Games, apps and databases keep running, and if the new version does not come up, the old one is put back.
04
Questions
Can Zelie replace both my game panel and Coolify?
On one machine, yes: game servers from Pterodactyl and Pelican eggs, apps from GitHub, images or plain files, and PostgreSQL, MariaDB and Redis, under one login.
What does Zelie not do yet?
It manages the one machine it is installed on, and only administrators log in. Several machines and sub-users are planned. It does not run Docker Compose files.
Install Zelie
Run this as root on a Debian or Ubuntu server. It checks the release’s signature, installs Zelie and asks how people will reach the panel.
curl -fsSL https://github.com/Caria-Core/zelie/releases/latest/download/install.sh | shFree on a single server. Read how the install works first if you want to know what it changes.