How we audit each tool

When we say a tool is "audited" on AltFreeStack, it's not a marketing phrase: it means it goes through this specific checklist. This page explains exactly what we check, where each data point comes from and — just as important — what we can't guarantee.

What we check on every tool page

• ✅ License

  Taken directly from the official GitHub repository. Every tool page links to the repository so you can verify it yourself — don't just take our word for it.

• ✅ FOSS, Open-Core, Fair-code and Source-available

  We distinguish four license models and never blend them under the same "100% free" claim: 100% free software under an OSI license ("FOSS", 86 tools), a free core with advanced features or enterprise plans staying paid ("Open-Core", 76 tools), public code with no usage limits but a non-OSI license that bans reselling it as a SaaS ("Fair-code", 1 tools), and public code that's free to self-host under another non-OSI license ("Source-available", 2 tools).

• ✅ Docker Ready

  158 out of 165 tools ship a real docker-compose.yml on their page. We check that its syntax is valid with our own Doctor Compose tool, but that validates the file's syntax — it doesn't replace deploying it yourself and checking it fits your specific environment.

• ✅ Estimated minimum RAM

  This is an estimate, not a production measurement: we calculate it from the number of services in the docker-compose.yml and the database engine it uses (a SQLite or embedded database weighs less than Postgres or Elasticsearch, for example). Treat it as a starting point for picking a server, not a guaranteed exact figure.

• ✅ GitHub stars and activity

  Read live from the public GitHub API. If the API doesn't respond while a page is generated, we don't silently keep a stale number: we simply don't show it until it's available again.

• ✅ Latest project update

  Our "Is it safe to update?" tool checks the real latest release published on GitHub — it's not a date we maintain by hand that goes stale.

• ✅ Official SaaS pricing it replaces

  We only show a price figure when we've manually verified it against the SaaS's official website (17 SaaS verified right now). For the rest, we show an honest message without making up a number — and we always link to the official site for the current price, since these providers change them often.

What we don't do

Just as important as the above — so "audited" doesn't become an empty promise:

• ✕ We haven't deployed all 165 tools in the catalog to real production ourselves.
• ✕ We don't audit source code for security vulnerabilities.
• ✕ We don't guarantee a docker-compose.yml works unmodified on every environment or Docker version.
• ✕ We don't accept payment from listed projects in exchange for inclusion or a more favorable review.

Found outdated or incorrect data?

Report it on our GitHub repository and we'll fix it.