Sculpin

Free plan LinuxWeb

What Sculpin is

Sculpin is a free PHP static site generator that turns Markdown files, Twig templates, and standard HTML into static HTML websites. It can create blogs and other types of static sites. Twig provides formatting and template handling, while Markdown and Textile converters are included; source files may also use YAML front matter and other formatters. Its generate command can watch source changes and serve a local HTTP preview. Running `sculpin generate --env=prod` creates an `output_prod` directory whose files can be uploaded to a web server or any web host. The deployed result consists of static files, so PHP is not used on the server. Sculpin installs through Composer with `composer require sculpin/sculpin`. Bundles add functionality, with community extensions listed for thumbnail generation and navigation menus. Publishing options include rsync, GitHub Pages, and Amazon S3. Theme support is experimental, and questions are directed to Discord and Mastodon. The project is credited to Dragonfly Development and its repository is MIT licensed.

Who it suits

Sculpin suits PHP users who want to generate static blogs or other websites from Markdown and Twig. It is useful when production hosting can serve static files without PHP.

What it does well

Free static site generator
Markdown, Twig, and HTML sources
Local preview server
Deploys static files to any web host
Composer installation and extensible bundles

What to know first

Theme support is experimental
No PHP runs on the deployed server
Requires a Composer-managed PHP project
No free trial is listed

Verdict

Sculpin provides a PHP-based workflow for producing static websites with local previews and several publishing routes. It fits projects that value static output and template control, while experimental themes may require caution.

Facts from Sculpin's own pages

Content: Source files can include YAML front matter and be formatted with Twig and other formatters. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Content formats: Sculpin ships with Markdown and Textile converters. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026
Content sources: markdown · sculpin.io, 20 Sept 2026
Deployment: Generated production files can be uploaded to a web server, and the deployed site does not use PHP on the server. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026
Extensibility: Sculpin supports community bundles through a Symfony HttpKernel-based bundle system. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · sculpin.io, 20 Sept 2026
Hosting: Generated static files can be deployed to any web host. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Install: Sculpin can be installed into a Composer-managed project with `composer require sculpin/sculpin`. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026
Installation: Sculpin can be installed as a dependency in a Composer-managed project with `composer require sculpin/sculpin`. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Integrations: The getting-started guide describes deploying generated sites with rsync, GitHub Pages, or Amazon S3, with s3cmd needed for its sample S3 script. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Language: Sculpin is a PHP static site generator and can be extended with PHP. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
License: The Sculpin GitHub repository identifies the project as MIT licensed. · github.com, 11 Oct 2026
Local preview: The `generate --watch --server` command watches source files, regenerates the site, and serves it locally. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Maker: The site footer identifies Dragonfly Development; the pages opened did not state its headquarters or founding year. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Local preview server: Yes · sculpin.io, 20 Sept 2026
Production output: Running `sculpin generate --env=prod` creates an `output_prod` directory whose contents can be uploaded to a web server. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Purpose: Sculpin combines Markdown content and Twig templates to generate static HTML websites. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Server requirements: Sculpin's documentation says PHP is not used on the server because the generated site consists of static files. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Support: The maker directs users with questions to the Sculpin community, Discord, and Mastodon. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Supported languages: PHP · sculpin.io, 20 Sept 2026
Templates: Sculpin uses Twig, which the maker describes as an extensible template engine. · sculpin.io, 11 Oct 2026
Theme support: The documentation describes theme support as experimental and says the theme API may change drastically over time. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026
Use cases: Sculpin can create any type of static website, including blogs. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026
What it does: Sculpin is a PHP static site generator that converts Markdown files, Twig templates, and standard HTML into static HTML sites. · sculpin.io, 10 Oct 2026

Where Sculpin stands on Freedom251

Static site generators#35 of 35