Cobalt vs Saber
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
Saber
Archived
Static site generator for Vue.js sites and blogs
| Feature | Cobalt | Saber |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,538 | ★ 2,115 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, Hugo | Gatsby, Jekyll |
What are Cobalt and Saber?
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
Saber
Saber is a static site generator built on top of Vue.js that lets you create static websites and blogs using Vue components and Markdown. It bridges the gap between flexible single-page apps and traditional static generators.
- Vue-component pages
- Markdown content
- Plugin ecosystem
- Static output
Cobalt vs Saber: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Saber's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Cobalt is actively maintained. Cobalt is written in Rust, while Saber is built with JavaScript. Cobalt is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Saber. Cobalt is the more established project (first released 2015), while Saber arrived in 2019.
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 Saber if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cobalt or Saber better?
Neither is universally better. Saber has the larger community, while Cobalt is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cobalt and Saber free and open-source?
Yes. Cobalt is licensed under MIT and Saber under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cobalt and Saber with Docker?
Cobalt: check the project docs for container support. Saber: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Cobalt or Saber?
Cobalt has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Saber. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.