Hakyll review
A dependency-aware static site generator for developers who want Haskell-defined builds.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Hakyll is an open-source Haskell library and static site generator for small-to-medium websites and personal blogs. It suits developers who want to define compilation rules, templates, metadata, routes, and output handling in Haskell rather than configure a separate site-build system. Project scaffolding through hakyll-init provides a starting point, while support for Windows, macOS, and Linux makes the same approach available across major desktop platforms. The published distribution is free and open source.
Its strongest distinction is dependency-aware build behavior. Hakyll tracks dependencies, caches results, and supports incremental builds, which can reduce unnecessary regeneration as a site changes. The local preview and watch server supports an iterative authoring workflow, while build and rebuild operations cover routine generation tasks. This setup favors developers comfortable expressing site logic in a Haskell DSL; the trade-off is that configuration and customization are tied to that language rather than a simpler, language-neutral format.
Content handling is broad within static publishing. Pandoc conversion supports Markdown, TeX, and reStructuredText, with syntax highlighting, HTML templating, metadata, custom routing, and file-extension handling available for shaping the output. Modules for RSS, Atom, tags, categories, and pagination cover common blog and publication structures. Hakyll is a strong choice for Haskell developers who value programmable, dependency-aware builds and control over generated files. Teams seeking a static site generator without Haskell-based configuration, or projects requiring a wider application platform, should choose a different tool.
Hakyll pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Declarative Haskell DSL for compilation rules and custom routing
- Incremental builds with dependency tracking, caching, and watch mode
- Pandoc support for Markdown, TeX, and reStructuredText
- Where it doesn't
- Requires working with Haskell for site configuration and builds
- Primarily aimed at small-to-medium sites and personal blogs
- Focused on static publishing rather than broader application features
Hakyll fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update