blogc vs Harp
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | blogc | Harp |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 6 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | C | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 192 | ★ 4,995 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, Hugo | Jekyll |
What are blogc and Harp?
blogc
blogc is a blog compiler written in C that builds static websites from template and source files. It is paired with blogc-make to handle building entire blogs with feeds and pagination.
- Fast static site compiler in C
- Atom feed and pagination support
- Minimal dependencies
- Template-based rendering
Harp
Harp is a static web server and site generator that serves Jade, Markdown, EJS, CoffeeScript, Sass, LESS, and Stylus as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript without any configuration. It can compile a project to a deployable static site.
- Zero-config preprocessing
- Built-in web server
- Compiles to static site
- Multiple template languages
blogc vs Harp: key differences
Blogc is written in C, while Harp is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for blogc versus MIT for Harp. Blogc is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Harp. Harp is the more established project (first released 2013), while blogc arrived in 2015. Harp has the considerably larger community, at 4,995 GitHub stars versus 192.
Why pick each one
Choose blogc if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Choose Harp if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (5k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is blogc or Harp better?
Harp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider blogc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are blogc and Harp free and open-source?
Yes. blogc is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Harp under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run blogc and Harp with Docker?
blogc: check the project docs for container support. Harp: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, blogc or Harp?
blogc has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Harp. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.