JBake vs Middleman
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | JBake | Middleman |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Java | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,159 | ★ 7,111 |
| First released | 2013 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, WordPress | Jekyll, WordPress |
What are JBake and Middleman?
JBake
JBake is a static site and blog generator written in Java that is geared towards developers wanting to produce documentation, websites, and blogs. It supports multiple markup and template engines.
- JVM-based generation
- Multiple template engines
- Markdown and AsciiDoc support
- Static output
Middleman
Middleman is a static site generator using all the shortcuts and tools in modern web development, including templating, asset pipelines, and helpers. Its blogging extension turns it into a full static blog engine.
- Asset pipeline
- Blogging extension
- Helpers and partials
- Static output
JBake vs Middleman: key differences
JBake is written in Java, while Middleman is built with Ruby. Middleman is the more established project (first released 2009), while JBake arrived in 2013. Middleman has the considerably larger community, at 7,111 GitHub stars versus 1,159.
Why pick each one
Choose JBake if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Choose Middleman if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is JBake or Middleman better?
Neither is universally better. Middleman has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are JBake and Middleman free and open-source?
Yes. JBake is licensed under MIT and Middleman under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run JBake and Middleman with Docker?
JBake: check the project docs for container support. Middleman: check the project docs for container support.