Metalsmith vs Roq

Metalsmith is a free, pluggable static-site generator for NodeJS that works more like a library than a framework. It transforms a directory tree into plain JavaScript objects that plugins can manipulate, without requiring a predefined project structure. Developers can use configuration over code or code over configuration, and access the package through either its JavaScript API or command-line interface. It works with npm, Markdown, JSON, YAML, and a templating language of choice. Example uses include static sites, scaffolding, backups, command-line and deployment tools, and eBooks made from Markdown for PDF, ePUB, or MOBI output. Starter repositories cover blog, company, resume, and clean-blog projects. Builds create static folders for deployment to CDNs, Netlify, GitHub Pages, GitLab Pages, SFTP hosts, or custom servers. Metalsmith requires NodeJS; the listed platforms include Linux, macOS, and Windows. The documentation says partial rebuilds are not available and suggests using a file watcher and browser synchronization package for automatic rebuilds. No billing terms or prices are stated on the supplied pages.

Roq is a free, open-source static site generator built with Java and Quarkus. It creates websites and blogs from Markdown and outputs static files for GitHub Pages, Netlify, or another static server. The project is aimed at AI users and coders, including developers who want zero configuration with customization in Java. Development mode provides a local preview server and live reload, while a browser WYSIWYG editor supports content editing and previewing. Markdown works by default, with plugins for AsciiDoc, tagging, search, diagrams, series, and sitemaps. The default theme includes a blog layout, dark mode, sidebar navigation, responsive design, and social links. Roq bundles CSS, JavaScript, and web assets with esbuild and can use npm packages through mvnpm without Node.js. A GitHub Action supports publishing, and GitLab CI is documented. The CLI installs through JBang on Linux, macOS, and Windows.