Lume 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 | Lume | Orchid |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | LGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,284 | ★ 529 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, Hugo | Jekyll, GitBook |
What are Lume and Orchid?
Lume
Lume is a fast and flexible static site generator for the Deno runtime that supports many template engines and file formats out of the box. It is used to build blogs, documentation, and websites with minimal configuration.
- Built on Deno
- Many template engines
- Plugin system
- Fast static builds
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
Lume vs Orchid: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Orchid's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Lume is actively maintained. Lume is written in TypeScript, while Orchid is built with Kotlin. Licensing differs — MIT for Lume versus LGPL-3.0 for Orchid. Lume is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Orchid. Orchid is the more established project (first released 2017), while Lume arrived in 2021. Lume has the considerably larger community, at 2,284 GitHub stars versus 529.
Why pick each one
Choose Lume if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Choose Orchid if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- Written in Kotlin
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Lume or Orchid better?
Lume 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 Lume and Orchid free and open-source?
Yes. Lume is licensed under MIT and Orchid under LGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lume and Orchid with Docker?
Lume: check the project docs for container support. Orchid: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Lume or Orchid?
Lume 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.