Publican is a simple HTML-first static site generator for Node.js

Easy to start

Publican is ECMAScript all the way. Create a static site with a three-line configuration file.

Build a 100-page static site in less than half a second. Live file watch updates are even faster!

Publican creates fast, HTML first, secure static sites with no JavaScript unless you need it.

By default, all web pages are rendered to static directories containing index.html files.

No special syntax to learn. Publican uses JavaScript template literal ${ expressions }.

Markdown `code` blocks are syntax highlighted in HTML with configurable CSS colors.

Pass content and template strings from your CMS or elsewhere directly to Publican.

Use built-in navigation objects to create menus, sidebars, breadcrumbs, and more.

Use built-in pagination objects to create indexes of directory and tag pages.

Create your own reusable values, functions, replacers, and event hooks to configure your static site build.

A fast search engine for static sites without the need for server-side processing or databases.

A detailed "getting started" guide, API reference, how-to recipes, and example themes.

Why does Publican exist when there are so many great SSGs for all systems and languages?

January 22, 2025

620 words, 4-minute read

Publican v0.10.2 fixes a problem with double string replacements. StaticSearch v0.4.0 has improved content indexing.

June 25, 2025

309 words, 2-minute read

How Publican.dev implements performance and security features you can use on your website.

January 30, 2025

1,190 words, 6-minute read