Best / Static site hosting
Best open-source Static site hosting
The best self-hosted static-site split in the c17.io catalog is Hugo for an Apache-2.0 generator (the published GitHub Pages / Cloudflare Pages stack), Zola when you want that EUPL-1.2 Rust binary, Caddy when the job is serving the files with automatic HTTPS, and Ghost when the job is a CMS publication rather than static files. This is not GitHub Actions minutes, Cloudflare Workers (/replace/cloudflare-workers), or a PaaS. Coolify stays on /replace/heroku. Forgejo is the git host — /replace/github.
Open the stackStart on Railway
Ranked picks
1
HugoApache-2.0 static site generator — the c17 GitHub Pages path. /compare/hugo-vs-zola.
When to pick it: A fast build you serve as files.
90,219 stars in the catalog
2
ZolaEUPL-1.2 single-binary generator — /compare/hugo-vs-zola.
When to pick it: A Rust binary if Hugo is not the shape.
17,551 stars in the catalog
3
CaddyApache-2.0 file server with automatic HTTPS already in the catalog.
When to pick it: Serving public/ on a box you run.
78,123 stars in the catalog
4
GhostMIT publishing and memberships — a CMS, not static files. /replace/medium.
When to pick it: A publication you edit in a browser, not a generator.
55,549 stars in the catalog
How they compare
| Tool | License | Self-host | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugo | Apache License 2.0 | Easy | A fast build you serve as files. |
| Zola | European Union Public License 1.2 | Easy | A Rust binary if Hugo is not the shape. |
| Caddy | Apache License 2.0 | Easy | Serving public/ on a box you run. |
| Ghost | MIT License | Easy | A publication you edit in a browser, not a generator. |
Related pages
- Hugo / Zola + Caddy stack
- Ghost / WordPress stack
- Forgejo / Gitea stack
- Replace GitHub Pages
- Replace Cloudflare Pages
- Replace Carrd
- Replace WordPress.com
- Replace Squarespace
- Replace Wix
- Replace Medium
- Replace Ghost(Pro)
- Replace Memberstack
- Replace Outseta
- Replace Memberful
- Replace Patreon
- Replace GitHub
- Replace Bitbucket Cloud
- Replace GitLab.com
- Hugo vs Zola
- All best open-source pages
- All compare pages
- All replace pages
- All stacks
- Tools catalog
FAQ
- Hugo or Zola?
- Hugo if you want the common Apache generator (the published GitHub Pages path). Zola if you want that Rust binary — /compare/hugo-vs-zola.
- Is this Netlify?
- Netlify-shaped app hosting stays on /replace/netlify. This page is static files.
- Why is Ghost last?
- Ghost is a CMS publication. Put it here so a membership site is not sold as static files.
- Are these free?
- Hugo and Caddy are Apache-2.0. Zola is EUPL-1.2. Ghost is MIT. You pay hosting. Template users never pay c17.
- How do I deploy it?
- Open /stacks/hugo-static. Build the site. Serve the output directory with Caddy.
Stack of the Week
Get one stack a week that replaces a SaaS bill.