Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Harp VS Hexo

Compare Harp VS Hexo and see what are their differences

Harp logo Harp

The static web server with built-in preprocessing.

Hexo logo Hexo

A fast, simple & powerful blog framework, powered by Node.js
  • Harp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-10
  • Hexo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-14

Harp features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Harp is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers. It provides a straightforward environment to set up and manage static sites quickly.
  • Built-in Preprocessing
    Harp automatically preprocesses files like Markdown, LESS, and EJS, reducing the need for additional build tools. This streamlines development by allowing developers to use these languages without manual configuration.
  • Rapid Development with Live Reload
    Harp offers live reloading, enabling developers to see changes in real-time without refreshing the browser manually, which speeds up the development process.
  • Focused on Static Content
    Harp is specifically designed for creating and managing static websites, providing features tailored to this use case and avoiding unnecessary complexity found in more comprehensive frameworks.
  • Minimal Configuration
    The platform requires minimal configuration to get started, which reduces the learning curve and accelerates setup, allowing developers to focus on coding rather than setup issues.

Possible disadvantages of Harp

  • Limited Flexibility
    Being a static site generator, Harp lacks the flexibility and features of dynamic web applications or CMSs, which may not meet the needs of more robust or interactive projects.
  • Community and Support
    Harp has a smaller community compared to other static site generators or frameworks, which can lead to challenges in finding help, resources, or plugins when needed.
  • No Built-in Deployment
    Harp does not provide a built-in method for deploying sites to hosting platforms, requiring developers to configure deployment separately using tools like Rsync, FTP, or third-party services.
  • Feature Limitations
    Due to its focus on simplicity, Harp lacks some advanced features that other static site generators might offer, which could be limiting for complex site requirements.
  • Stagnation Concerns
    As of the latest updates, Harp does not receive frequent updates compared to more actively developed projects, raising concerns about future feature developments and maintenance.

Hexo features and specs

  • Speed
    Hexo is a static site generator, meaning it can generate and serve content rapidly compared to traditional CMS (Content Management Systems). This results in faster page load times and better performance.
  • Markdown Support
    Hexo uses Markdown for content creation, making it simple for users to write and format text easily. Markdown is widely used and allows for a clean separation of content and formatting.
  • Customization
    Hexo provides a high degree of customization through its robust plugin system and theme capabilities. Users can easily extend functionality and change the look and feel of their site.
  • SEO Friendly
    Hexo generates clean, static HTML files which are easily indexable by search engines. This makes it an SEO-friendly solution for creating websites and blogs.
  • Open Source
    Hexo is an open-source project, which means it's free to use, and you can contribute to the project or modify the source code to suit your needs.
  • Deployment Flexibility
    Hexo supports a variety of deployment methods including GitHub Pages, Heroku, Netlify, and others, making it easy to publish your site.

Possible disadvantages of Hexo

  • Learning Curve
    While Markdown is easy to use, the overall setup of Hexo and understanding its configuration files can be challenging for beginners, especially those unfamiliar with static site generators.
  • Dependency on Node.js
    Hexo relies on Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager), so you need to have these installed on your machine. This dependency can be a barrier for people not familiar with JavaScript or the Node.js ecosystem.
  • Content Management
    Unlike traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, Hexo does not provide a built-in content management interface. All content is managed through files, which can be less convenient for non-technical users.
  • Build Times on Large Sites
    For very large websites with lots of pages and posts, the build times in Hexo can become lengthy as all files need to be regenerated each time a change is made.
  • Limited Ecosystem
    While Hexo has a decent number of plugins and themes, its ecosystem is not as vast as some other static site generators or CMS platforms like Jekyll or WordPress. This could limit your options for extending your site.
  • Version Compatibility
    Updates to Hexo or its plugins can sometimes lead to compatibility issues, requiring users to spend time debugging and resolving conflicts, which can be frustrating.

Analysis of Hexo

Overall verdict

  • Hexo is a solid choice for those who want a lightweight and fast static site generator, especially if you need straightforward blogging functionality and are comfortable working with Node.js and Markdown.

Why this product is good

  • Hexo is a popular and powerful static site generator known for its simplicity, speed, and strong community support. It is built on Node.js, making it suitable for developers familiar with JavaScript. It offers a wide range of themes and plugins, allowing for flexible customization and extension. It's particularly favored for blogging due to its efficient content management and the ability to deploy quickly to platforms such as GitHub Pages.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking a simple and fast static site generator.
  • Bloggers who prefer writing in Markdown and value speed in generation and deployment.
  • Users comfortable with Node.js looking for extensive community support and customizable themes.

Harp videos

Harp Review - 10 harps from 50$ to 15.000$ - comparison guide

More videos:

  • Review - Westside Discs Harp Review and Giveaway! | Danny Lindahl
  • Review - Dusty Strings Harp Review

Hexo videos

Tsunami by Hexo One Hitter Weed Review

More videos:

  • Review - Hexo Corp. Cannabis Original Stash OS.220 1 Ounce review Indica Blend
  • Review - HEXO Corp. - HEXO Stock Chart Technical Analysis for 06-16-2020

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Harp and Hexo)
Blogging
16 16%
84% 84
JavaScript Framework
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
11 11%
89% 89
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Harp and Hexo. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Hexo seems to be a lot more popular than Harp. While we know about 21 links to Hexo, we've tracked only 1 mention of Harp. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Harp mentions (1)

  • Is there a technology for reusing HTML components?
    Sounds like what you want is a static site generator. I've used Harp for a long time but I'm not sure it's really maintained these days, so you might also look at 11ty. Source: almost 3 years ago

Hexo mentions (21)

  • Crosspost! Publishing to Dev.to From My Personal Blog
    My website is a static site built with Hexo and served through GitHub Pages. Hexo's documentation isn't the best, but with a little digging, I found that, in the years since I last used it, they've provided a pretty robust first-party plugin for generating RSS and ATOM feeds. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: Looking for lightweight personal blogging platform
    There's also hexo [1]. I saw that on Matt Klein's website [2] and the theme looked pretty clean. [1] https://hexo.io [2] https://mattklein123.dev/2020/03/08/2020-03-07-new-website/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Hexo, WebFinger and better discoverability
    In my case, the latter is not possible because this blog is a static site, generated via Hexo and hosted on GitHub. It simply lacks a modifiable active server component. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Nuxt 3 - showcase your sites
    Previously I've used Nuxt2 and even sooner - hexo.io. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Building a static blog using Jekyll & Strapi
    To make their creation easier, numerous open-source static websites generators are available: Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, Hexo, etc. Most of the time, the content is managed through static (ideally Markdown) files or a Content API. Then, the generator requests the content, injects it in templates defined by the developer and generates a bunch of HTML files. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Harp and Hexo, you can also consider the following products

Metalsmith - An extremely simple, pluggable static site generator.

Hugo - Hugo is a general-purpose website framework for generating static web pages.

GitHub Pages - A free, static web host for open-source projects on GitHub

Jekyll - Jekyll is a simple, blog aware, static site generator.

AngularJS - AngularJS lets you extend HTML vocabulary for your application. The resulting environment is extraordinarily expressive, readable, and quick to develop.

GatsbyJS - Blazing-fast static site generator for React