Acrylamid vs Jekyll
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Jekyll
Simple, blog-aware static site generator
| Feature | Acrylamid | Jekyll |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 10 · At risk | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 280 | ★ 51,683 |
| First released | 2011 | 2008 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Acrylamid and Jekyll?
Acrylamid
Acrylamid is a static blog compiler written in Python that focuses on fast incremental rebuilds and supports multiple markup languages. It generates a complete static site that can be hosted anywhere.
- Incremental rebuilds
- Multiple markup formats
- Static output
- Jinja2 templating
Jekyll
Jekyll is a popular open-source static site generator that transforms Markdown and Liquid templates into static blogs and websites. It pioneered the modern static-site approach and integrates with GitHub Pages.
- Blog-aware by design
- Markdown and Liquid templating
- Large plugin ecosystem
- GitHub Pages support
Acrylamid vs Jekyll: key differences
Acrylamid is written in Python, while Jekyll is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Acrylamid versus MIT for Jekyll. Acrylamid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Jekyll. Jekyll is the more established project (first released 2008), while Acrylamid arrived in 2011. Jekyll has the considerably larger community, at 51,683 GitHub stars versus 280.
Why pick each one
Choose Acrylamid if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Jekyll if…
- Mature and well documented
- Great for personal blogs
Watch out for
- Slower builds on large sites
- Ruby toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Acrylamid or Jekyll better?
Neither is universally better. Jekyll has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Acrylamid and Jekyll free and open-source?
Yes. Acrylamid is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Jekyll under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Acrylamid and Jekyll with Docker?
Acrylamid: check the project docs for container support. Jekyll: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Acrylamid or Jekyll?
Acrylamid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Jekyll. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.