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Jekyll

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Overview of Jekyll

Jekyll remains a relevant choice for static site generation, especially for users prioritizing simplicity and blog-centric features.


Its Ruby-based engine efficiently transforms Markdown and HTML into static websites, ideal for personal blogs, documentation sites, and simple portfolios.


The learning curve is gentle, and the large community provides ample support.


While Jekyll may not be the fastest option for large sites, its ease of use and blog-aware design make it a strong contender for smaller projects.


For developers seeking a straightforward, convention-driven SSG, Jekyll offers a reliable and well-established solution.


Consider Jekyll if you value simplicity and community support over raw speed and cutting-edge features.

Pros

  • Simple
  • easy to learn
  • Blog-aware functionality included
  • Good for basic websites
  • Large
  • helpful community
  • Convention over configuration focus

Cons

  • Slow for larger sites
  • Liquid templating is limiting
  • Plugin debugging can suffer

Main Features

Simplicity and Ease of Use

Jekyll's straightforward design and CLI make it accessible, especially for those familiar with basic web technologies. Setting up a site is quick, allowing users to focus on content creation rather than complex configurations. This simplicity is a major draw for beginners and those who prefer a minimal, convention-based approach to static site generation, allowing for quick project starts.

Blog-Aware Functionality

Jekyll excels at creating blogs, offering built-in support for posts, categories, tags, and permalinks. This simplifies content management and organization, making it easy to publish and maintain a blog. The blog-aware nature reduces boilerplate and allows for a streamlined workflow, especially useful for writers and content creators.

Liquid Templating Engine

Jekyll utilizes Liquid, a templating language that enables dynamic layouts and reusable components. While not as feature-rich as some alternatives, Liquid provides sufficient power for most static site needs. Its ease of use allows developers to inject dynamic content and create flexible designs, contributing to maintainable and scalable projects.

Markdown and HTML Support

Jekyll natively supports Markdown, facilitating clean and readable content creation. HTML support allows for custom elements and styling, providing flexibility in design. The combination of Markdown and HTML enables users to write content efficiently while retaining the ability to implement complex layouts and custom design elements.

Plugin Ecosystem

Jekyll's plugin ecosystem extends its functionality, enabling features like SEO optimization and image processing. While plugin quality can vary, the community offers a range of options to enhance Jekyll's capabilities. Plugins address specific needs and provide solutions for extending Jekyll's functionality beyond its core features, contributing to a more versatile platform.

Supported Languages

Ruby (core)
HTML
CSS
JavaScript (client-side)
YAML (data files)
JSON (data files)

Supported Templates

Liquid
Markdown
HTML

Build Toolchains

Built-in Jekyll build process
Gulp (integration)
Grunt (integration)
Webpack (integration)
Parcel (integration)

Other Services

Themes
Plugins
Documentation
Community Support
Hosting (via GitHub Pages
Netlify
etc.)

Pricing

Jekyll is free to use

Check pricing on Jekyll