Overview
Jekyll is a Static Site Generator - this means it takes configuration files, templates, and text content and is able to generate an entire site of all static HTML pages with no need for a backend!
Jekyll does what you tell it to do — no more, no less. It doesn't try to outsmart users by making bold assumptions, nor does it burden them with needless complexity and configuration. Put simply, Jekyll gets out of your way and allows you to concentrate on what truly matters: your content.
Features
- Post content can be written in Markdown
- Templates are processed using Liquid and can be chained together
- A built-in development server is included
- There are tons of available free (and non-free) themes
- The entire site can be version controlled
- A wealth of plugins allow almost infinite extensibility and hackability
- Github Pages use Jekyll to render the sites that they serve
Use Cases
If you fall into any of the following use cases, Jekyll may be a good candidate for your next site:
- You want to make your content accessible for community contribution
- You are comfortable working with text configuration files and content and the command line
- Your site only serves content (no logins/backend/dynamic content)
- Your site is generally small, or does not get updated frequently
- You are resource constrained by the processing power available to you
- You want to host for free (Github Pages) or at least very cheap (S3 Buckets, or Cloudfront CDN)
- You have concerns about a server backend getting compromised by remote execution exploits
- You want access to the most amount of pre-built themes to use or modify or purchase/license
Similar Software
Different Software
- Wordpress/Drupal - Dynamic Site Generators
- Wix/Godaddy Website Builder - Hosting Service
- Medium.com - Hosted SaaS/Subscription Service