What is Halo used for?

Halo is an open-source website builder written in Java for blogs, knowledge bases, company sites and online stores, with a plugin and theme marketplace and Docker setup. It is a good fit for personal blogs and portfolios, technical documentation sites, and small business websites and shops.

Yes. Halo is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at halo-dev/halo and is written mainly in Java.

Yes. Halo is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Halo?

Yes. Halo can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Halo an alternative to?

Halo is an open-source alternative to Jimdo, Blogger, Squarespace and Wix. Other open-source alternatives to Jimdo include WordPress, Microweber and Vvveb.

Is Halo actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Halo was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.26.1, published on 1 September 2026. The project has 40k stars on GitHub.

Halo: open-source alternative to Jimdo, Blogger, Squarespace

About Halo

Halo is an open-source website building tool written in Java. It targets a range of needs, from personal blogs and knowledge bases to corporate websites and online shops, and aims to cover them all in a single, easy-to-use system. Its documentation and project text are primarily in Chinese.

A quick-start Docker command launches a trial environment, and the maintainers recommend deploying with the 1Panel server management panel for reverse proxy, SSL certificates and upgrade and backup handling. An application market offers more than 100 free themes and plugins, and developers can publish their own. A public demo environment is available for exploring the admin interface.

Halo comes in three editions. The Community edition is free under GPL-3.0 and suits individual developers and open-source projects. The Professional edition adds features such as a mobile app, AI site generation, phone number login and a paid theme and plugin market. A Commerce edition adds an integrated online store with payment support for the Chinese market, including WeChat Pay and Alipay.

Key features

Website builder for blogs and company sites
Theme and plugin application market
Docker quick start
Knowledge base and documentation sites
Optional online store in the Commerce edition
Mobile app and AI site generation in Professional edition

Good fit for

→Personal blogs and portfolios
→Technical documentation sites
→Small business websites and shops

Built with: Java
Tags: cms; blog; website-builder; java; self-hosted; themes; plugins; ecommerce

Halo: questions and answers

What is Halo used for?: Halo is an open-source website builder written in Java for blogs, knowledge bases, company sites and online stores, with a plugin and theme marketplace and Docker setup. It is a good fit for personal blogs and portfolios, technical documentation sites, and small business websites and shops.
Is Halo open source?: Yes. Halo is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at halo-dev/halo and is written mainly in Java.
Is Halo free?: Yes. Halo is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Halo?: Yes. Halo can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Halo an alternative to?: Halo is an open-source alternative to Jimdo, Blogger, Squarespace and Wix. Other open-source alternatives to Jimdo include WordPress, Microweber and Vvveb.
Is Halo actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Halo was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is v2.26.1, published on 1 September 2026. The project has 40k stars on GitHub.