Nanoc is a free static-site generator that transforms content such as Markdown or AsciiDoc into HTML. It is a command-line application for local site development and generating output for deployment, rather than a CMS; content is usually managed on the filesystem. Its scope can range from a personal blog to a corporate website. Pages can carry free-form metadata, and supported markup includes Markdown, AsciiDoc and Textile; templates can use eRuby, Haml or Mustache. Developers can write custom filters and helpers, and retrieve data from databases or web APIs. Nanoc supports incremental builds, multilingual sites and a local preview server. Deployment mechanisms include Git, rsync, GitHub Pages, Bitbucket, GitLab Pages and Netlify, with pre-deployment checks available. It requires Ruby 3.1 or higher, with CRuby needed for guaranteed support. macOS and Linux are officially supported; Windows is not officially supported and has limitations. Nanoc is licensed under MIT and is listed at 0.00 USD per free.

Who it is for

Nanoc suits developers who want a command-line workflow and filesystem-managed content for static sites. It can serve projects ranging from personal blogs to corporate websites, provided its Ruby requirements and platform support fit.

What is good

Free and MIT-licensed
Supports incremental builds and multilingual sites
Can retrieve data from databases and web APIs
Offers local preview and deployment checks
Supports several markup and template languages

What to know first

Requires Ruby 3.1 or higher
CRuby is required for guaranteed support
Windows is not officially supported
Nanoc is not a CMS

Verdict

Nanoc offers a flexible static-site workflow with multiple markup, template and deployment options. Check the Ruby requirement and Windows limitations against your development setup.

Nanoc plans and pricing

All plans

Nanoc Free passion project · provided free of charge nanoc.denisdefreyne.com · 1 Oct 2026

Compared on static site generators

Free plan: Yes
Content sources: database
CMS integration: No
Incremental builds: Yes
Multilingual support: Yes
Local preview server: Yes
Supported languages: Ruby

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The record

What it does

Nanoc is a flexible static-site generator that transforms content such as Markdown or AsciiDoc into HTML.

Site scale

Nanoc is fit for building anything from a small personal blog to a large corporate website.

Content model

Nanoc is not a CMS; it processes content that is usually managed on the filesystem.

Workflow

Nanoc is a command-line application where sites are developed locally and generated sites are deployed when finished.

Metadata

Nanoc supports free-form metadata, allowing pages to be processed as articles, chapters, reviews, recipes, and other types.

Markup and templates

Nanoc supports markup languages including Markdown, AsciiDoc and Textile, and templating languages including eRuby, Haml and Mustache.

Extensibility

Nanoc lets users write custom filters and helpers.

External data

Nanoc can pull data from databases and web APIs.

Deployment

Nanoc integrates with various deployment mechanisms and provides a nanoc deploy command, with examples for Git, rsync, GitHub Pages, Bitbucket, GitLab Pages and Netlify.

Deployment checks

Nanoc can run pre-deployment checks.

Security

The site says static sites do not contain dynamic content and are therefore immune to most common attacks.

Supported systems

Nanoc officially supports macOS and Linux; Windows is not officially supported and has some limitations.

Runtime

Nanoc requires Ruby 3.1 or higher and the CRuby implementation for guaranteed support.

Installation

Nanoc is installed using RubyGems with the command gem install nanoc.

Price from

Free