Blogofile vs Hexo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Blogofile | Hexo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 11 · At risk | 98 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 347 | ★ 41,774 |
| First released | 2009 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Blogofile and Hexo?
Blogofile
Blogofile is a static website compiler that lets you write a blog or site using flat files and templates, producing pure HTML output. It includes built-in blog features such as archives, categories, and feeds.
- Static blog generation
- Categories and archives
- Atom and RSS feeds
- Mako templating
Hexo
Hexo is an open-source static blog framework built with Node.js that turns Markdown into a fast static site. It is widely used by developers for personal blogs with a rich plugin ecosystem.
- Fast Markdown-based builds
- Large plugin and theme ecosystem
- One-command deployment
- Highly extensible
Blogofile vs Hexo: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Blogofile's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Hexo is actively maintained. Blogofile is written in Python, while Hexo is built with TypeScript. Blogofile is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hexo. Blogofile is the more established project (first released 2009), while Hexo arrived in 2012. Hexo has the considerably larger community, at 41,774 GitHub stars versus 347.
Why pick each one
Choose Blogofile if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Hexo if…
- Popular with developers
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Node toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Blogofile or Hexo better?
Neither is universally better. Hexo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Blogofile and Hexo free and open-source?
Yes. Blogofile is licensed under MIT and Hexo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blogofile and Hexo with Docker?
Blogofile: check the project docs for container support. Hexo: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Blogofile or Hexo?
Blogofile has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hexo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.