JBake vs Zola
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?
| Feature | JBake | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Java | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,155 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2013 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, WordPress | WordPress, Medium |
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
Frequently asked questions
Is JBake or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are JBake and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. JBake is licensed under MIT and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run JBake and Zola with Docker?
JBake: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.