igllama vs Ollama
Comparison to Ollama
Ollama is an excellent project that inspired igllama. The key differences:
| Aspect | Ollama | igllama |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Client-server | Single binary |
| Language | Go | Zig |
| Model Format | Modelfile abstraction | Direct GGUF |
| Background Service | Required | Not needed |
| Container Support | Docker-first | No container needed |
| Model Discovery | Ollama registry | Hugging Face Hub |
Choosing the Right Tool
Choose igllama if you want:
- A single CLI tool without background services
- Direct control over GGUF files and quantization
- Integration with the Hugging Face ecosystem
- Minimal footprint and predictable behavior
- Unix-style piping and scripting support
Choose Ollama if you want:
- A persistent REST API server for multiple local clients
- Docker-based deployment and management
- The Ollama model registry for easy discovery
- Modelfile abstractions for custom model definitions
Both tools use llama.cpp under the hood and produce similar inference results. igllama is designed to be the “curl” of local LLM inference—simple, transparent, and focused.