Halo vs Harp
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Halo
Powerful and easy-to-use open-source website builder
VS
Harp
Static web server with built-in preprocessing
| Feature | Halo | Harp |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,485 | ★ 4,995 |
| First released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | Jekyll |
Why pick each one
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 Halo or Harp better?
Neither is universally better. Halo has the larger community, while Harp is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Halo and Harp free and open-source?
Yes. Halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Harp under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Halo and Harp with Docker?
Halo: yes. Harp: check the project docs for container support.