Astro vs Bashblog
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Astro | Bashblog |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 62,756 | ★ 1,931 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Astro and Bashblog?
Astro
Astro is an open-source web framework for building fast, content-focused websites and blogs. It ships zero JavaScript by default and supports components from React, Vue, Svelte, and more.
- Zero JavaScript by default
- Use any UI framework
- Content collections for blogs
- Fast static output
Bashblog
Bashblog is an extremely minimal blog engine implemented as a single Bash script. It generates static HTML pages from posts written in a terminal, ideal for hackers who want the simplest possible blog.
- Single Bash script
- Static HTML output
- Terminal-based authoring
- Zero dependencies beyond Bash
Astro vs Bashblog: key differences
Astro is written in TypeScript, while Bashblog is built with Shell. Licensing differs — MIT for Astro versus GPL-3.0 for Bashblog. Bashblog is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Astro. Bashblog is the more established project (first released 2012), while Astro arrived in 2021. Astro has the considerably larger community, at 62,756 GitHub stars versus 1,931.
Why pick each one
Choose Astro if…
- Excellent performance
- Flexible component model
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Bashblog if…
- Incredibly minimal
- No runtime to maintain
Watch out for
- Very bare-bones
- No admin interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Astro or Bashblog better?
Neither is universally better. Astro has the larger community, while Bashblog is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Astro and Bashblog free and open-source?
Yes. Astro is licensed under MIT and Bashblog under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Astro and Bashblog with Docker?
Astro: check the project docs for container support. Bashblog: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Astro or Bashblog?
Bashblog has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Astro. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.