Eleventy vs Typecho
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Eleventy
Simpler static site generator for fast websites
VS
Typecho
Lightweight, fast blogging program
| Feature | Eleventy | Typecho |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,929 | ★ 12,446 |
| First released | 2018 | 2008 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Eleventy and Typecho?
Eleventy
Eleventy is a flexible open-source static site generator written in JavaScript that works with many templating languages. It is popular for blogs and documentation due to its simplicity and speed.
- Supports many template languages
- Fast incremental builds
- Zero client-side JavaScript by default
- Flexible data cascade
Typecho
Typecho is an open-source blogging platform written in PHP, focused on being simple, lightweight, and fast. It is especially popular among developers in the Chinese-speaking community.
- Lightweight and fast
- Markdown support
- Plugin and theme ecosystem
- Simple installation
Eleventy vs Typecho: key differences
Eleventy is written in JavaScript, while Typecho is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Eleventy versus GPL-2.0 for Typecho. Typecho is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Eleventy. Typecho is the more established project (first released 2008), while Eleventy arrived in 2018. Typecho lists first-class Docker deployment; Eleventy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Eleventy if…
- Very flexible templating
- Lean output
Watch out for
- No built-in admin
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Typecho if…
- Very lightweight
- Clean codebase
Watch out for
- Documentation mostly in Chinese
- Smaller global community
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleventy or Typecho better?
Neither is universally better. Eleventy has the larger community, while Typecho is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Eleventy and Typecho free and open-source?
Yes. Eleventy is licensed under MIT and Typecho under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Eleventy and Typecho with Docker?
Eleventy: check the project docs for container support. Typecho: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Eleventy or Typecho?
Typecho has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Eleventy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.