Bashblog vs Metalsmith
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bashblog | Metalsmith |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 76 · Good | 68 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Shell | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,931 | ★ 7,822 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Jekyll |
What are Bashblog and Metalsmith?
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
Metalsmith
Metalsmith is a static site generator that treats every site as a series of plugins manipulating files, making it suitable for blogs, project pages, and documentation. All functionality, including Markdown rendering and templating, is provided by plugins.
- Everything is a plugin
- Pipeline architecture
- Markdown and templating plugins
- Static output
Bashblog vs Metalsmith: key differences
Bashblog is written in Shell, while Metalsmith is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Bashblog versus MIT for Metalsmith. Bashblog is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Metalsmith. Bashblog is the more established project (first released 2012), while Metalsmith arrived in 2014. Metalsmith has the considerably larger community, at 7,822 GitHub stars versus 1,931.
Why pick each one
Choose Bashblog if…
- Incredibly minimal
- No runtime to maintain
Watch out for
- Very bare-bones
- No admin interface
Choose Metalsmith if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 7.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bashblog or Metalsmith better?
Neither is universally better. Metalsmith 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 Bashblog and Metalsmith free and open-source?
Yes. Bashblog is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Metalsmith under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bashblog and Metalsmith with Docker?
Bashblog: check the project docs for container support. Metalsmith: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Bashblog or Metalsmith?
Bashblog has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Metalsmith. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.