Blogofile vs Jekyll
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Jekyll
Simple, blog-aware static site generator
| Feature | Blogofile | Jekyll |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 11 · At risk | 85 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 347 | ★ 51,683 |
| First released | 2009 | 2008 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Blogofile and Jekyll?
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
Jekyll
Jekyll is a popular open-source static site generator that transforms Markdown and Liquid templates into static blogs and websites. It pioneered the modern static-site approach and integrates with GitHub Pages.
- Blog-aware by design
- Markdown and Liquid templating
- Large plugin ecosystem
- GitHub Pages support
Blogofile vs Jekyll: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Blogofile's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Jekyll is actively maintained. Blogofile is written in Python, while Jekyll is built with Ruby. Blogofile is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Jekyll. Jekyll has the considerably larger community, at 51,683 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 Jekyll if…
- Mature and well documented
- Great for personal blogs
Watch out for
- Slower builds on large sites
- Ruby toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Blogofile or Jekyll better?
Neither is universally better. Jekyll has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Blogofile and Jekyll free and open-source?
Yes. Blogofile is licensed under MIT and Jekyll under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blogofile and Jekyll with Docker?
Blogofile: check the project docs for container support. Jekyll: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Blogofile or Jekyll?
Blogofile has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Jekyll. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.