JBake 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 | JBake | Orchid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,159 | ★ 529 |
| First released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, WordPress | Jekyll, GitBook |
What are JBake and Orchid?
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
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
JBake vs Orchid: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Orchid's repository is archived and no longer developed, while JBake is actively maintained. JBake is written in Java, while Orchid is built with Kotlin. Licensing differs — MIT for JBake versus LGPL-3.0 for Orchid. JBake is the more established project (first released 2013), while Orchid arrived in 2017. JBake has the considerably larger community, at 1,159 GitHub stars versus 529.
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 Orchid if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Kotlin
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is JBake or Orchid better?
Neither is universally better. JBake has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are JBake and Orchid free and open-source?
Yes. JBake is licensed under MIT and Orchid under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run JBake and Orchid with Docker?
JBake: check the project docs for container support. Orchid: check the project docs for container support.