Cobalt vs Publ
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Cobalt
Static site generator written in Rust
VS
Publ
Flexible file-based publishing system for blogs and galleries
| Feature | Cobalt | Publ |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,538 | ★ 41 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, Hugo | WordPress, Jekyll |
What are Cobalt and Publ?
Cobalt
Cobalt is a static site generator written in Rust that builds blogs and websites from Markdown and Liquid templates. It produces fast, self-contained static output and ships as a single binary.
- Single-binary tool
- Liquid templating
- Markdown content
- Fast builds
Publ
Publ is a Python content management and blogging engine that publishes content directly from files in a directory tree. It supports image galleries, Markdown content, and templated layouts without a separate database for content.
- File-based content publishing
- Built-in image gallery support
- Markdown and template driven
- No content database required
Cobalt vs Publ: key differences
Cobalt is written in Rust, while Publ is built with Python. Cobalt is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Publ. Cobalt is the more established project (first released 2015), while Publ arrived in 2018. Cobalt has the considerably larger community, at 1,538 GitHub stars versus 41.
Why pick each one
Choose Cobalt if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose Publ if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cobalt or Publ better?
Cobalt is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Publ if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cobalt and Publ free and open-source?
Yes. Cobalt is licensed under MIT and Publ under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cobalt and Publ with Docker?
Cobalt: check the project docs for container support. Publ: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Cobalt or Publ?
Cobalt has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Publ. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.