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Self-Hosting Radicale: Lightweight CalDAV/CardDAV Server

Radicale is a tiny CalDAV and CardDAV server. Sync calendars and contacts across devices with minimal resource usage.

radicalecalendarcontactscaldav

What Is Radicale?


Radicale is a minimalist CalDAV and CardDAV server. It syncs calendars and contacts between your devices.


Features


Calendar (CalDAV)

  • Multiple calendars per user
  • Events, tasks, and journals
  • Recurring events
  • Shared calendars
  • Calendar subscriptions (ICS)

    • Contacts (CardDAV)

  • Address books
  • Contact groups
  • vCard format
  • Shared address books

    • Server

  • File-based storage (no database)
  • Authentication (htpasswd, LDAP)
  • HTTPS support
  • Access control
  • Multi-user

    • Client Compatibility


  • iOS/macOS: Built-in Calendar and Contacts apps
  • Android: DAVx5 (sync adapter)
  • Thunderbird: Built-in CalDAV/CardDAV
  • GNOME: GNOME Calendar, Contacts
  • KDE: KOrganizer, KAddressBook

    • Radicale vs Nextcloud vs Baikal


  • Radicale: Simplest, lightest, Python
  • Nextcloud: Full platform (overkill for just CalDAV)
  • Baikal: Middle ground, PHP, web admin

    • When to Choose Radicale


  • You only need calendar/contact sync
  • You want minimal resource usage
  • You don't need a web UI
  • You want the simplest possible setup

    • Deployment


    1. Deploy Radicale on TinyPod

    2. Create user accounts

    3. Configure clients with server URL

    4. Calendars and contacts sync


    Resources: 1 CPU, 64 MB RAM.


    Radicale does one thing perfectly: sync calendars and contacts. If that's all you need, don't deploy Nextcloud — use Radicale.