What is Quartz?
Quartz is a static site generator that turns markdown files into a fast, searchable website. The docs pitch it for “digital gardens” and “rhizomatic thinking” - whatever it is. Under the hood it’s just a markdown-to-HTML build tool that happens to work well. I like Quartz for the simplicity it gives, especially compared to bloated WordPress. Top features for me were:
- note taking:
- I can write notes in any text editor using markdown. It is a much better experience than WordPress’s sluggish WYSIWYG
- version control
- everything is in a git repository, it is easier to backup and restore
Additionally, it builds to static HTML and has nice built-in features: wikilinks ([[note]]), backlinks, graph view and full-text search.
Comparison to WordPress
| WordPress | Quartz | |
|---|---|---|
| Stack | PHP, MariaDB, constant security updates | Static HTML, no runtime |
| RAM | 500+ MB to serve text | ~40MB (nginx + pre-built HTML) |
| Content | Database, schema upgrades, backup/restore | Markdown in git, versioned, diffable |
| Security | PHP, DB, plugins, large attack surface | Pre-built files, no server-side execution |
| Fit | Overkill for a static blog | Purpose-built for text-heavy sites |
WordPress security
WordPress is a constant security headache. It runs PHP, a database, an admin panel, plugins, and themes - each layer adds attack surface. WordPress core itself has improved - CVE Details shows only 1 CVE each in 2025 and 2026. The real problem is the ecosystem: Patchstack reports ~91% of WordPress vulnerabilities are in plugins, ~9% in themes, and only a tiny fraction in core.
Additional pain points from running WordPress:
- Upgrade procedure is complicated, especially when running inside a Docker container
- RAM usage - my home server started running low on memory. Quartz is much more generous when it comes to RAM usage
In summary, in my case:
- Quartz gives me a better experience when writing and editing notes
- it is more secure
- maintenance is easier
- it consumes less RAM
For the technical implementation - Docker, CI/CD, k8s deployment - see quartz-blog-pipeline.