How to Setup Jekyll

Introduction

Jekyll is a simple, blog-aware, static site generator perfect for personal, project, or organization sites. Using Jekyll, you can transform plain text into static websites and blogs. It is an excellent tool for creating a site hosted on GitHub Pages without much hassle.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have a basic understanding of:

• HTML/CSS
• Markdown
• Ruby programming (basic)
• Git and GitHub

Step 1: Install Ruby and Jekyll

Jekyll is a Ruby Gem, so you first need to install Ruby. The installation process varies based on your operating system:

• Windows: Use RubyInstaller
• macOS: Ruby comes pre-installed, but you may need to update it.
• Linux: Installation commands vary by distribution.

After installing Ruby, install Jekyll and Bundler:

gem install jekyll bundler

Step 2: Create a New Jekyll Site

Creating a new Jekyll site is straightforward. Run:

jekyll new my-awesome-site
cd my-awesome-site

Step 3: Build and Run Your Site Locally

To build your site and make it available on a local server:

bundle exec jekyll serve

You can now view your new website at http://localhost:4000.

Step 4: Customize Your Site

Customize your site by editing the _config.yml file and adding posts in the _posts directory. Jekyll uses the Liquid template language for templating.

Step 5: Deploying to GitHub Pages

Deploy your site by:

1. Creating a GitHub repository.
2. Pushing your code to the repository.
3. Setting up GitHub Pages in the repository settings.

Your site should now be live!

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve just set up a website with Jekyll and GitHub Pages. Explore further to customize and enhance your site.

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