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halo-dev/halo

📈 Trending★ 38,658JavaAudience · pm founderComplexity · 4/5ActiveLicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

Self-hosted website and content management platform that powers blogs, knowledge bases, stores, and company sites. Deploy on your own Linux server with Docker.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Halo))
    What it does
      Blog platform
      Knowledge base
      Online store
      Company website
    Features
      100+ themes
      Plugin ecosystem
      E-commerce optional
      Mobile app
    Deployment
      Docker-based
      Self-hosted Linux
      1Panel integration
      SSL and backups
    Tech stack
      Java Spring Boot
      Vue.js admin
      Kotlin support
    Editions
      Community free
      Professional paid
      Commercial e-commerce
    Use cases
      Personal blogs
      Team knowledge bases
      Product stores
      Corporate sites

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Run a personal blog or portfolio site on your own server without paying a hosting company.

USE CASE 2

Build a knowledge base or documentation site for your team with a plugin-rich admin interface.

USE CASE 3

Launch an online store with order management and payment processing for WeChat Pay or Alipay.

USE CASE 4

Deploy a company website with custom themes and content management from a single Docker container.

Tech stack

JavaSpring BootVue.jsKotlinDocker

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires Docker and a Linux server; initial deployment and database setup needed before first working instance.

Community edition is free and open-source under GPL v3; you can use, modify, and distribute it as long as you share changes under the same license.

In plain English

Halo is an open-source website building and content management tool aimed primarily at Chinese-speaking users, though it can be used internationally. Based on the description and README (which is written in Chinese), it positions itself as a versatile platform that can power personal blogs, knowledge bases, company websites, and online stores from a single installation. The project emphasizes ease of use alongside a rich feature set, making it suitable for individuals who want to run a self-hosted website without deep technical expertise. The README describes three tiers: a community edition that is free and open-source under the GPL v3 license, a professional edition with added features like a mobile app and AI-assisted site building, and a commercial edition that adds full e-commerce capabilities including order management and payment integrations for Chinese platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay. The community edition supports over 100 free themes and plugins from an official marketplace. Deployment is Docker-based, and the project integrates with tools like the 1Panel Linux server management panel for setting up SSL certificates, reverse proxies, and backups. You would use Halo when you want a self-hosted CMS that goes beyond a simple blog, covering content management, optional e-commerce, and a plugin ecosystem, and prefer to run it on your own Linux server rather than depending on a hosted service. The tech stack is Java with Spring Boot on the backend, with Kotlin also referenced in the ecosystem, and the front-end admin console is a separate Vue.js-based application.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install Halo on a Linux server using Docker and set up SSL with 1Panel?
Prompt 2
Show me how to create a custom theme for Halo and upload it to my self-hosted instance.
Prompt 3
What plugins are available in the Halo marketplace and how do I add e-commerce features to my site?
Prompt 4
I want to migrate my WordPress blog to Halo, what's the process and what will I lose or gain?
Prompt 5
How do I set up Halo with WeChat Pay and Alipay for selling products on my site?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.