Bashblog vs Zola
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Bashblog | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 76 · Good | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Shell | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,931 | ★ 17,463 |
| First released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Medium |
What are Bashblog and Zola?
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
Zola
Zola is an open-source static site generator written in Rust that ships as a single binary with no dependencies. It builds blogs and documentation sites quickly with built-in Sass and search support.
- Single dependency-free binary
- Fast builds
- Built-in Sass compilation
- Built-in search index
Bashblog vs Zola: key differences
Bashblog is written in Shell, while Zola is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Bashblog versus MIT for Zola. Bashblog is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Zola. Bashblog is the more established project (first released 2012), while Zola arrived in 2017. Zola has the considerably larger community, at 17,463 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 Zola if…
- No toolchain to install
- Very fast
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Smaller theme selection
Frequently asked questions
Is Bashblog or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola 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 Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Bashblog is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Bashblog and Zola with Docker?
Bashblog: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Bashblog or Zola?
Bashblog has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Zola. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.