# Pelican

Static site generator that supports Markdown and reST syntax. Powered by Python.

Repository: https://github.com/getpelican/pelican
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pelican
Homepage: https://getpelican.com
Language: Python
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: static-site-generator, python, pelican
Last push: 2026-04-20T15:29:50+00:00
Link (homepage): https://getpelican.com
Link (site_page): https://docs.getpelican.com/en/latest

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 79/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 78, release rhythm 68, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5800, "days_push": 135, "days_rel": 135, "gap_med": 54.0, "n_releases_24m": 5}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 13338, forks 1823 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:03.177728+00:00)

## What it is
Pelican is a Python-based static site generator that converts content written in Markdown, reStructuredText, or HTML into fully static websites. It requires no database or server-side logic, supports themes via Jinja2 templates, and is extensible through a rich plugin ecosystem.

## Use cases
- build a static blog from markdown files
- generate a personal website without a database
- migrate an existing WordPress blog to a static site
- publish multilingual articles with RSS and Atom feeds
- host a documentation or portfolio site on any static host
- create a fast static site with syntax-highlighted code posts

## When to choose
- you want a Python-based static site generator with no database or server-side code
- you prefer writing content in Markdown or reStructuredText in your own editor
- you need multilingual content, feeds, and syntax highlighting out of the box
- you want to import existing content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS feeds
- you value fast rebuilds via content caching and a mature plugin ecosystem

## When to avoid
- you need dynamic features like user accounts, comments, or server-side processing
- you prefer a JavaScript-based ecosystem like Node.js SSGs
- you want a batteries-included CMS with a visual admin interface
- you need real-time content updates from a database

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: static-site-generator, templating, cli, markdown, documentation
- domain: web-development, developer-tools, documentation, cms
- platform: python, cli, cross-platform
- tags: ssg, jinja2, restructuredtext, blogging, rss-feeds, themes, plugins

## Member repositories
- getpelican/pelican (main) score 79
- getpelican/pelican-themes (plugin) score 58
- getpelican/pelican-plugins (plugin) score 46

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:03.177728+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:13:20.832458+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/getpelican/pelican (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:03.177728+00:00, sha 18d3253fe2fc)
  - homepage: https://getpelican.com (fetched 2026-08-29T08:08:21.896012+00:00, sha fb6bef21f6be)
  - site_page: https://docs.getpelican.com/en/latest (fetched 2026-08-29T08:08:21.905080+00:00, sha 7160d69a8504)
  - registry_pypi: https://pypi.org/pypi/pelican/json (fetched 2026-08-29T08:08:21.907233+00:00, sha e71037bf4576)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.