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2025 01 01 Getting Started Jekyll

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!