Bashblog vs Middleman
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bashblog | Middleman |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 76 · Good | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Shell | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,931 | ★ 7,111 |
| First released | 2012 | 2009 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | Jekyll, WordPress |
What are Bashblog and Middleman?
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
Middleman
Middleman is a static site generator using all the shortcuts and tools in modern web development, including templating, asset pipelines, and helpers. Its blogging extension turns it into a full static blog engine.
- Asset pipeline
- Blogging extension
- Helpers and partials
- Static output
Bashblog vs Middleman: key differences
Bashblog is written in Shell, while Middleman is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Bashblog versus MIT for Middleman. Bashblog is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Middleman. Middleman is the more established project (first released 2009), while Bashblog arrived in 2012. Middleman has the considerably larger community, at 7,111 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 Middleman if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Bashblog or Middleman better?
Neither is universally better. Middleman 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 Middleman free and open-source?
Yes. Bashblog is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Middleman under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bashblog and Middleman with Docker?
Bashblog: check the project docs for container support. Middleman: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Bashblog or Middleman?
Bashblog has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Middleman. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.