Welcome to Jekyll! This tutorial will guide you through creating your first static website using Jekyll, the popular static site generator.
What is Jekyll?
Jekyll is a static site generator that transforms plain text into static websites:
- Markdown support: Write content in Markdown
- Liquid templating: Create dynamic layouts
- GitHub Pages ready: Free hosting on GitHub
- Plugin ecosystem: Extend functionality
Prerequisites
Before starting, ensure you have:
- Ruby 2.5+ installed
- RubyGems package manager
- Basic command line knowledge
- A text editor
Or simply use Docker (recommended)!
Creating Your First Site
Step 1: Install Jekyll
gem install bundler jekyll
Step 2: Create a New Site
jekyll new my-awesome-site
cd my-awesome-site
Step 3: Serve Locally
bundle exec jekyll serve
Visit http://localhost:4000 to see your site!
Understanding the Structure
my-awesome-site/
├── _config.yml # Site configuration
├── _posts/ # Blog posts
├── _layouts/ # Page templates
├── _includes/ # Reusable components
└── index.md # Homepage
Creating Your First Post
Create a new file in _posts/:
---
layout: post
title: "My First Post"
date: 2025-01-01
---
Hello, Jekyll world!
Next Steps
- Explore Jekyll themes
- Learn Liquid templating
- Set up GitHub Pages deployment
- Add plugins for extra features
Happy building!