Nibbleblog vs Pelican
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Nibbleblog | Pelican |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 7 · At risk | 80 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 227 | ★ 13,339 |
| First released | 2009 | 2010 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Nibbleblog and Pelican?
Nibbleblog
Nibbleblog is a simple, lightweight blog engine written in PHP that stores its data in XML files rather than a database. It is designed for quick setup of a personal blog.
- No database required
- XML-based storage
- Plugin support
- Quick installation
Pelican
Pelican is an open-source static site generator written in Python that builds blogs from Markdown or reStructuredText. It supports themes, plugins, and import from other blogging platforms.
- Markdown and reStructuredText
- Theme and plugin support
- Import from WordPress and others
- Atom and RSS feeds
Nibbleblog vs Pelican: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Nibbleblog's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Pelican is actively maintained. Nibbleblog is written in PHP, while Pelican is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Nibbleblog versus AGPL-3.0 for Pelican. Nibbleblog is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Pelican. Pelican has the considerably larger community, at 13,339 GitHub stars versus 227.
Why pick each one
Choose Nibbleblog if…
- Very easy to install
- Easy to back up
Watch out for
- Development is inactive
- Limited features
Choose Pelican if…
- Great for Python users
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Python environment needed
Frequently asked questions
Is Nibbleblog or Pelican better?
Neither is universally better. Pelican has the larger community, while Nibbleblog is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Nibbleblog and Pelican free and open-source?
Yes. Nibbleblog is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pelican under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Nibbleblog and Pelican with Docker?
Nibbleblog: check the project docs for container support. Pelican: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Nibbleblog or Pelican?
Nibbleblog has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Pelican. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.