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Video Conferencingdocker-ready1-click-deploypermissive-license100% FOSS🟢 Lightweight · ~256MB

Galène: Open Source alternative to Zoom in 2026

Galène is an extremely lightweight SFU video conferencing server, able to run on modest hardware and support hundreds of participants, ideal for self-hosted classes or large meetings.

ℹ️ The Galène project doesn't publish any official Docker image, only the Go binary — dscheirer/galene doesn't exist on Docker Hub. We use byteonabeach/galene, a third-party image that rebuilds the official stable release (1.0), but it isn't maintained by the Galène project itself: review its Dockerfile before trusting it in production.

Alternative to Zoom
License MIT1.4k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — galene-1.2.1

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Galène vs. Zoom

Pros

  • Runs on much more modest servers than Jitsi/BBB

Things to consider

  • More basic interface, fewer features than Zoom
  • No official Docker image from the project (see note above) — the one used here is from an external maintainer

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: a recurring monthly fee and usage limits on Zoom.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  galene:
    image: byteonabeach/galene:1.0.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8443:8443"
    volumes:
      - galene_data:/opt/galene/data
volumes:
  galene_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=galene" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit 9 days ago.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
MIT
Category
Video Conferencing
Replaces
Zoom
Tech stack
GoWebRTC

Under the hood

Database

None / File-based

Language

Go

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Extremely lightweight (a single Go binary)
  • Supports hundreds of participants per room
  • Local session recording
💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8443
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy