Dotclear vs HTMLy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dotclear | HTMLy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 56 · Fair |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46 | ★ 1,364 |
| First released | 2003 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Dotclear and HTMLy?
Dotclear
Dotclear is a long-standing open-source blogging engine designed to be easy to install and use. It offers themes, plugins, and full control over publishing without proprietary lock-in.
- Easy installation
- Theme and plugin support
- Multi-blog management
- Built-in media handling
HTMLy
HTMLy is an open-source databaseless flat-file blogging platform written in PHP. It is fast, lightweight, and stores all posts as text files for easy backup and migration.
- Databaseless flat-file storage
- Markdown content
- Multi-user roles
- Built-in themes
Dotclear vs HTMLy: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Dotclear versus MIT for HTMLy. HTMLy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Dotclear. Dotclear is the more established project (first released 2003), while HTMLy arrived in 2014. HTMLy has the considerably larger community, at 1,364 GitHub stars versus 46.
Why pick each one
Choose Dotclear if…
- Simple to set up
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less known outside France
Choose HTMLy if…
- No database to maintain
- Fast and lightweight
Watch out for
- Limited plugin ecosystem
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Dotclear or HTMLy better?
Neither is universally better. HTMLy has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dotclear and HTMLy free and open-source?
Yes. Dotclear is licensed under GPL-2.0 and HTMLy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dotclear and HTMLy with Docker?
Dotclear: yes. HTMLy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dotclear or HTMLy?
HTMLy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Dotclear. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.