jekyll

Jekyll is a free, open-source static site generator written in Ruby. It converts plain text into a complete, static website or blog by applying templates and producing HTML files. Content is typically authored in Markdown or Textile, and Jekyll uses the Liquid templating language for layout logic and data-driven rendering. It is designed to be simple to use for personal sites, documentation, and project pages.

Content is organized in a conventional directory structure. Source files live in folders such as _posts, _layouts, _includes, and _data, and configuration is stored in _config.yml. Pages and posts can specify metadata with YAML front matter. The resulting site is generated into a _site directory, which can be uploaded directly to a web server or a hosting service.

Jekyll is closely associated with GitHub Pages, where it serves as a primary engine for building user and project sites. It can be run locally using commands such as jekyll serve, after installing Ruby and dependencies via Bundler. The tool supports themes, plugins, and collections, enabling customization and organization beyond simple blogs. GitHub Pages imposes restrictions on plugins, shaping deployment workflows.

History and licensing: Jekyll was created by Tom Preston-Werner in the late 2000s and has since become a widely used tool for static sites. It is released under the MIT License and maintained by an open-source community, with a large ecosystem of themes and extensions that extend its capabilities.