[Update] Super Dev Resources is now back on WordPress. Read about it here.
We have moved hosting of Super Dev Resources blog to GitHub Pages. At the core, Jekyll is being used to generate static HTML pages for this site which is getting hosted by GitHub.
WordPress to Jekyll
Earlier we were hosting this blog with WordPress, therefore I had to do a bit of work in moving posts over to Jekyll. I also took this opportunity to create a cleaner theme for the site. I will soon be posting about different problems I faced and solutions I resorted to while doing this move from WordPress to Jekyll.
Until then, here is a bit of overview of what changed. WordPress runs on PHP and MySQL and generates dynamic HTML pages. This requires a server capable of running these softwares. Serving dynamic pages made with PHP, which in turn is accessing database such as MySQL, is quite heavy operation. Many solutions exist to cache and improve performance of WordPress hosted website, and I am still using it on many of my other websites. But still it takes running a decent server to power WordPress hosted websites if you want to good performance.
Serving a static page, as opposed to a dynamic page is not only faster, but also more secure. Jekyll is capable of powering a simple blog and converting it into simple static pages which can be served directly without the need of server processing involved. A static site also means, no constant hack attempts (there is no login/dashboard on this site), no need to be updating WordPress, PHP and other softwares for getting up to speed with the security requirements, no need of cache plugins and other security/performance plugins. All in all it’s a peace of mind.
What’s more, you can choose to host Jekyll sites on GitHub Pages, a service by GitHub which is completely free. Even mapping with your custom domain costs nothing. Yes, you read that right, nothing, zero, zip, zilch, nada.
Ready to move to Jekyll?
If you are convinced as I was, and are ready to move your own blog to Jekyll then find a nice tutorial by Smashing Magazine below which can serve as a great starting point.
Tutorial – Build A Blog With Jekyll And GitHub Pages
In the article mentioned above, the author mentions about Jekyll-now which is a fantastic theme as well as a good starting point to run your own blog with Jekyll on GitHub Pages. There are couple of other options also which are listed below.
Jekyll themes
- Hyde by MDO
- Lanyon by MDO
- Left by Zach Holman
- Minimal Mistakes by Michael Rose
- Skinny Bones by Michael Rose
Do let me know how it goes. As promised earlier, we will soon be posting more articles sharing our experience in moving from WordPress to Jekyll, so stay tuned.