Harp vs Orchid
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Harp | Orchid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 66 · Good | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,995 | ★ 529 |
| First released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Jekyll | Jekyll, GitBook |
What are Harp and Orchid?
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
Orchid
Orchid is a powerful and extensible static site generator built on the JVM that targets project documentation, wikis, and personal blogs. It bundles plugins for changelogs, presentations, and search.
- Plugin-driven generation
- Documentation themes
- Built-in search
- JVM ecosystem
Harp vs Orchid: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Orchid's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Harp is actively maintained. Harp is written in JavaScript, while Orchid is built with Kotlin. Licensing differs — MIT for Harp versus LGPL-3.0 for Orchid. Harp is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Orchid. Harp is the more established project (first released 2013), while Orchid arrived in 2017. Harp has the considerably larger community, at 4,995 GitHub stars versus 529.
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
Choose Orchid if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Kotlin
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Harp or Orchid better?
Harp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Orchid if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Harp and Orchid free and open-source?
Yes. Harp is licensed under MIT and Orchid under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Harp and Orchid with Docker?
Harp: check the project docs for container support. Orchid: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Harp or Orchid?
Harp has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Orchid. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.