Jekyll is a simple, blog-aware, static site generator for personal, project, or organization sites. Written in Ruby by Tom Preston-Werner, GitHub's co-founder, it is distributed under an open source license. Jekyll is the engine behind GitHub Pages, which you can use to host sites right from your GitHub repositories.
Jekyll takes a template directory (representing the raw form of a website), runs it through Textile or Markdown and Liquid converters, and spits out a complete, static website suitable for serving with Apache or your favorite web server. This is also the engine behind GitHub Pages, which you can use to host your project’s page or blog right here from GitHub.
Definition of Jekyll
Jekyll is a static site generator. It takes a template directory containing raw text files in various formats, runs it through a converter (like Markdown) and our Liquid renderer, and spits out a complete, ready-to-publish static website suitable for serving with your favorite web server. Jekyll also happens to be the engine behind GitHub Pages, which means you can use Jekyll to host your project’s page, blog, or website from GitHub’s servers for free.
Jekyll is a parsing engine bundled as a ruby gem used to build static websites from dynamic components such as templates, partials, liquid code, markdown, etc. Jekyll is known as "a simple, blog aware, static site generator".
Understanding Static Site Generators
Before we dive into what Jekyll is, it’s important to understand the concept of a static site generator. A static site generator is a compromise between using a hand-coded static site and a full CMS. You generate an HTML-only website using raw data (such as Markdown files) and templates. The resulting build is transferred to your live web server.
Static site generators are a great choice for blogs and personal projects due to their simplicity. You don’t need a database, and hosting is simplified. You can host your site on any server, or even on a CDN. Because your site is static, it’s incredibly fast and secure. For sites that are highly dynamic, a static site generator might not be the best choice. But for sites that don’t require a lot of user interaction, static site generators can be a great choice.
Understanding Liquid
Liquid is a simple templating language that Jekyll uses for processing templates. It has simple markup and syntax, and you can use it to create dynamic websites. It was developed by Shopify and is now maintained by the community.
Liquid uses a combination of tags, objects, and filters to load dynamic content. They are used between two curly braces {{ }} and percent signs {% %}. For example, you can use a filter to resize an image, or a tag to load a dynamic content.
History of Jekyll
Jekyll was first released by Tom Preston-Werner in 2008. Tom is a co-founder of GitHub. He wanted to create a file-based CMS to power GitHub Pages, which is a hosting service from GitHub. He wanted something flexible, customizable, and easy to use, so he created Jekyll.
Since then, Jekyll has been maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers from the open source community. Its popularity has grown over the years, and it has been used to build websites for projects, businesses, and organizations.
GitHub Pages and Jekyll
GitHub Pages is a hosting service from GitHub. It allows you to host your website directly from your GitHub repository. You just push your repository to GitHub, and the pages are automatically available on the web.
Jekyll is the engine behind GitHub Pages. It allows you to use Markdown, Liquid, HTML, and CSS to create your website. Jekyll automatically converts Markdown files into HTML, and it uses Liquid to process templates.
Use Cases of Jekyll
Because Jekyll creates static sites, it’s perfect for blogs and personal projects. A static site is fast, secure, and can handle a lot of traffic because it doesn’t rely on a database. This makes Jekyll a great choice for projects that don’t require a lot of user interaction, like blogs and personal websites.
Jekyll also supports themes, so you can customize the look and feel of your site. You can choose from a variety of pre-made themes, or you can create your own. Themes in Jekyll are flexible and customizable, so you can create a unique site that reflects your personal style or brand.
Creating a Blog with Jekyll
One of the most common use cases for Jekyll is creating a blog. Because Jekyll supports Markdown, you can write your blog posts in a simple, easy-to-read format that’s converted into HTML. You can also use Liquid to add dynamic elements to your posts, like dates or tags.
With Jekyll, you can focus on writing your posts without worrying about the technical details. You can even host your blog for free on GitHub Pages. And because your blog is static, it will be incredibly fast and can handle a lot of traffic.
Creating a Personal Website with Jekyll
Jekyll is also great for creating personal websites. You can use it to create a portfolio, a resume, or a personal blog. Because Jekyll is so flexible, you can create a site that’s unique to you.
You can use themes to customize the look and feel of your site, and you can use plugins to add functionality. You can even use Jekyll to create a static site that looks and feels like a dynamic site.
Examples of Jekyll Usage
Let’s take a look at some specific examples of how Jekyll can be used. We’ll start with a basic example of creating a blog, and then we’ll explore more complex examples.
Creating a blog with Jekyll is simple. You start by creating a new Jekyll site and then you add posts in the _posts directory. Each post is written in Markdown, and it includes a header with metadata about the post, like the title and date. When you build your site, Jekyll automatically converts the Markdown to HTML and generates a page for each post.
Using Jekyll with GitHub Pages
One of the most powerful features of Jekyll is its integration with GitHub Pages. You can host your Jekyll site for free on GitHub, and you can use GitHub’s version control features to manage your site.
To use Jekyll with GitHub Pages, you start by creating a new repository on GitHub. Then you clone the repository to your local machine, create a new Jekyll site in the repository, and push the site back up to GitHub. GitHub Pages automatically builds and serves the site for you.
Creating a Static Portfolio Site with Jekyll
Jekyll is a great tool for creating a static portfolio site. You can showcase your work, list your skills, and provide contact information. And because Jekyll is so flexible, you can design your portfolio to match your personal style.
To create a portfolio with Jekyll, you start by creating a new Jekyll site. Then you add pages for each of your projects, and you use the front matter to add metadata about each project. You can also use Liquid to create a template for your project pages, so you don’t have to repeat the same code for each page.
Conclusion
Jekyll is a powerful tool for creating static websites. It’s flexible, customizable, and easy to use. Whether you’re creating a blog, a personal website, or a portfolio, Jekyll can help you build a site that’s fast, secure, and uniquely yours.
With its integration with GitHub Pages, Jekyll also makes it easy to host and manage your site. You can focus on creating great content, while Jekyll takes care of the technical details. And because Jekyll is open source, you can contribute to its development and help make it even better.