DocPad 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 | DocPad | Harp |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 23 · At risk | 66 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | CoffeeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,046 | ★ 4,995 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Jekyll | Jekyll |
What are DocPad and Harp?
DocPad
DocPad is a content management and static site generation system that renders documents through a flexible plugin pipeline. It supports many templating and markup languages and can produce blogs and full websites.
- Plugin pipeline
- Many markup languages
- Live regeneration
- Static output
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
DocPad vs Harp: key differences
DocPad is written in CoffeeScript, while Harp is built with JavaScript.
Why pick each one
Choose DocPad if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in CoffeeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 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 DocPad or Harp better?
Harp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider DocPad if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are DocPad and Harp free and open-source?
Yes. DocPad is licensed under MIT and Harp under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DocPad and Harp with Docker?
DocPad: check the project docs for container support. Harp: check the project docs for container support.