JBake vs Soupault
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | JBake | Soupault |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 54 · Fair | 64 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Java | OCaml |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,159 | ★ 430 |
| First released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, WordPress | Jekyll, Hugo |
What are JBake and Soupault?
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
Soupault
Soupault is a static website generator and HTML processor that manipulates the page DOM directly rather than relying on a templating language. It can build new sites or post-process existing static sites.
- DOM-based processing
- Lua plugin support
- Single-binary tool
- Works on existing sites
JBake vs Soupault: key differences
JBake is written in Java, while Soupault is built with OCaml. Soupault is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for JBake. JBake is the more established project (first released 2013), while Soupault arrived in 2019. JBake has the considerably larger community, at 1,159 GitHub stars versus 430.
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 Soupault if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in OCaml
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is JBake or Soupault 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 Soupault free and open-source?
Yes. JBake is licensed under MIT and Soupault under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run JBake and Soupault with Docker?
JBake: check the project docs for container support. Soupault: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, JBake or Soupault?
Soupault has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for JBake. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.