add zola
This commit is contained in:
parent
1aefdf8ce6
commit
f24ecadfbf
932 changed files with 3986 additions and 2419 deletions
|
|
@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
|
|||
+++
|
||||
title = "einszwovier: making of"
|
||||
title = "switching from jekyll to zola"
|
||||
date = 2025-05-16
|
||||
authors = ["Aron Petau", "Friedrich Weber"]
|
||||
description = "The story of our new Makerspace: studio einszwovier"
|
||||
description = "a short reflection on the switch from jekyll to zola"
|
||||
|
||||
[taxonomies]
|
||||
tags = [
|
||||
|
|
@ -21,3 +21,74 @@ show_shares = true
|
|||
featured = true
|
||||
draft = true
|
||||
+++
|
||||
|
||||
## 2020: discovering jekyll
|
||||
|
||||
For applying to my master's program in 2020, a portfolio was required, and since it was more or less for a design program, I wanted to have a nice website.
|
||||
After trying for a month to get what I wanted out of WordPress, and angrily quitting multiple times, I discovered [Jekyll](https://jekyllrb.com).
|
||||
Back then, [Hugo](https://gohugo.io) and [11ty](https://www.11ty.dev) were the newer kids on the block, but I was heavily relying on the free hosting from [GitHub Pages](https://pages.github.com), where Jekyll was the easiest to integrate.
|
||||
|
||||
Back then, looking for inspiration, I had an ethics professor I really liked, and he had a Jekyll site with the [Minimal Mistakes](https://mmistakes.github.io/minimal-mistakes/) theme.
|
||||
[Prof. Mühlhoff](https://rainermuehlhoff.de)
|
||||
|
||||
I went about using Minimal Mistakes, and it was a great experience.
|
||||
The resulting portfolio at least got me into the master's, and I fell in love with the general idea of being able to write sites in markdown, while a program would take care of the rest.
|
||||
|
||||
For years, Jekyll was my go-to for building static websites.
|
||||
It was familiar, widely supported, and part of the broader Ruby ecosystem.
|
||||
But over time, my frustrations grew—slow builds, complicated plugin setups, and a dependency stack that never felt quite right.
|
||||
To be honest, many of the drawbacks were totally not Jekyll’s fault. It was just slow, otherwise fine. But especially using GitHub Pages imposed quite a few limitations on plugins and themes.
|
||||
Also, maybe I didn’t put in enough effort, but I could never really get theme modifications working. Just extending the theme to show multiple authors was a pain—although it was eventually working.
|
||||
|
||||
On now finishing the master's, I wanted a visual overhaul, and while browsing for inspiration again, using Jekyll at all got questioned again.
|
||||
I knew I wanted a static site generator, because markdown is the shit.
|
||||
So after looking around further, **[Zola](https://www.getzola.org/)** emerged—actually through a chatbot suggestion 😄
|
||||
|
||||
Recently, I made the leap to Zola, a Rust-powered static site generator, and I don't see myself going back.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## rust feels right
|
||||
|
||||
I’ve always admired [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) for its speed, safety, and modern tooling.
|
||||
Using a static site generator built with Rust just made sense. **Zola is fast**—blazing fast.
|
||||
Even during local development, rebuilds are near-instant, and that alone makes the writing process smoother and more enjoyable.
|
||||
|
||||
Plus, using something written in Rust means fewer external dependencies, no bundler hell, and zero Ruby setup headaches.
|
||||
I can just download the binary, run it, and get going. It respects my time.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## zola is thoughtfully designed
|
||||
|
||||
Beyond performance, Zola is just really well designed.
|
||||
Its template syntax (thanks to [Tera](https://tera.netlify.app)) is more powerful and readable than Liquid.
|
||||
The built-in shortcodes, pagination, and asset pipelines all feel cohesive and purposeful.
|
||||
There’s very little “configuration over convention” fatigue that Jekyll often gave me.
|
||||
|
||||
And even though both systems are markdown-based, migrating wasn’t just a matter of copy-pasting files.
|
||||
I had to rethink frontmatter, adjust templates, and wrangle image paths and shortcodes.
|
||||
The structure and behavior are different enough that it felt like a real rebuild—not just a port.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## duckquill made me switch
|
||||
|
||||
The real catalyst, though? [**Duckquill**](https://github.com/daudix/duckquill), a stunning Zola theme built by [Daudix](https://github.com/daudix).
|
||||
It struck the perfect balance between minimalism and elegance—exactly the aesthetic I wanted but could never quite achieve with Jekyll.
|
||||
Duckquill didn’t just make Zola usable for me; it made it _irresistible_.
|
||||
|
||||
What really sets **Duckquill** apart—beyond its clean typography and smart layout—is how well it supports a vision of digital autonomy.
|
||||
The theme comes with **Mastodon-powered comments**, allowing for lightweight, federated interaction without relying on big centralized platforms.
|
||||
This fits perfectly with my goal of reclaiming control through **self-hosting**.
|
||||
Whether it's running my own site, owning my content, or interacting through the fediverse, Duckquill reinforces those values rather than working against them.
|
||||
It’s a rare example of design and infrastructure aligning with personal principles.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## final thoughts
|
||||
|
||||
Switching from Jekyll to Zola wasn’t effortless, but it was absolutely worth it.
|
||||
I now have a faster, more reliable, and better-looking site that’s easier to maintain and feels like it fits my tooling philosophy.
|
||||
|
||||
If you're feeling the weight of your current setup, maybe it's time to try Zola—and give Duckquill a spin while you're at it.
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -19,30 +19,77 @@ tags = [
|
|||
show_copyright = true
|
||||
show_shares = true
|
||||
featured = false
|
||||
toc = true
|
||||
toc_sidebar = true
|
||||
+++
|
||||
|
||||
For years, Jekyll was my go-to for building static websites. It was familiar, widely supported, and part of the broader Ruby ecosystem. But over time, my frustrations grew—slow builds, complicated plugin setups, and a dependency stack that never felt quite right. Recently, I made the leap to **Zola**, a Rust-powered static site generator, and I don't see myself going back.
|
||||
## 2020: discovering jekyll
|
||||
|
||||
## Rust Feels Right
|
||||
For applying to my master's program in 2020, a portfolio was required, and since it was more or less for a design program, I wanted to have a nice website.
|
||||
After trying for a month to get what I wanted out of WordPress, and angrily quitting multiple times, I discovered [Jekyll](https://jekyllrb.com).
|
||||
Back then, [Hugo](https://gohugo.io) and [11ty](https://www.11ty.dev) were the newer kids on the block, but I was heavily relying on the free hosting from [GitHub Pages](https://pages.github.com), where Jekyll was the easiest to integrate.
|
||||
|
||||
I’ve always admired Rust for its speed, safety, and modern tooling. Using a static site generator built with Rust just made sense. **Zola is fast**—blazing fast. Even during local development, rebuilds are near-instant, and that alone makes the writing process smoother and more enjoyable.
|
||||
Back then, looking for inspiration, I had an ethics professor I really liked, and he had a Jekyll site with the [Minimal Mistakes](https://mmistakes.github.io/minimal-mistakes/) theme.
|
||||
[Prof. Mühlhoff](https://rainermuehlhoff.de)
|
||||
|
||||
Plus, using something written in Rust means fewer external dependencies, no bundler hell, and zero Ruby setup headaches. I can just download the binary, run it, and get going. It respects my time.
|
||||
I went about using Minimal Mistakes, and it was a great experience.
|
||||
The resulting portfolio at least got me into the master's, and I fell in love with the general idea of being able to write sites in markdown, while a program would take care of the rest.
|
||||
|
||||
## Zola Is Thoughtfully Designed
|
||||
For years, Jekyll was my go-to for building static websites.
|
||||
It was familiar, widely supported, and part of the broader Ruby ecosystem.
|
||||
But over time, my frustrations grew—slow builds, complicated plugin setups, and a dependency stack that never felt quite right.
|
||||
To be honest, many of the drawbacks were totally not Jekyll’s fault. It was just slow, otherwise fine. But especially using GitHub Pages imposed quite a few limitations on plugins and themes.
|
||||
Also, maybe I didn’t put in enough effort, but I could never really get theme modifications working. Just extending the theme to show multiple authors was a pain—although it was eventually working.
|
||||
|
||||
Beyond performance, Zola is simply well-designed. Its template syntax (thanks to Tera) is more powerful and readable than Liquid. The built-in shortcodes, pagination, and asset pipelines all feel cohesive and purposeful. There’s very little “configuration over convention” fatigue that Jekyll often gave me.
|
||||
On now finishing the master's, I wanted a visual overhaul, and while browsing for inspiration again, using Jekyll at all got questioned again.
|
||||
I knew I wanted a static site generator, because markdown is the shit.
|
||||
So after looking around further, **[Zola](https://www.getzola.org/)** emerged—actually through a chatbot suggestion 😄
|
||||
|
||||
And even though both systems are Markdown-based, migrating wasn't just a matter of copy-pasting files. I had to rethink frontmatter, adjust templates, and wrangle image paths and shortcodes. The structure and behavior are different enough that it felt like a real rebuild—not just a port.
|
||||
Recently, I made the leap to Zola, a Rust-powered static site generator, and I don't see myself going back.
|
||||
|
||||
## Duckquill Made me switch
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The real catalyst, though? **Duckquill**, a stunning Zola theme built by [Daudix](https://github.com/daudix). It struck the perfect balance between minimalism and elegance—exactly the aesthetic I wanted but could never quite achieve with Jekyll. Duckquill didn’t just make Zola usable for me; it made it *irresistible*.
|
||||
## rust feels right
|
||||
|
||||
What really sets **Duckquill** apart—beyond its clean typography and smart layout—is how well it supports a vision of digital autonomy. The theme comes with **Mastodon-powered comments**, allowing for lightweight, federated interaction without relying on big centralized platforms. This fits perfectly with my goal of reclaiming control through **self-hosting**. Whether it's running my own site, owning my content, or interacting through the fediverse, Duckquill reinforces those values rather than working against them. It’s a rare example of design and infrastructure aligning with personal principles.
|
||||
I’ve always admired [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/) for its speed, safety, and modern tooling.
|
||||
Using a static site generator built with Rust just made sense. **Zola is fast**—blazing fast.
|
||||
Even during local development, rebuilds are near-instant, and that alone makes the writing process smoother and more enjoyable.
|
||||
|
||||
## Final Thoughts
|
||||
Plus, using something written in Rust means fewer external dependencies, no bundler hell, and zero Ruby setup headaches.
|
||||
I can just download the binary, run it, and get going. It respects my time.
|
||||
|
||||
Switching from Jekyll to Zola wasn’t effortless, but it was absolutely worth it. I now have a faster, more reliable, and better-looking site that’s easier to maintain and feels like it fits my tooling philosophy.
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## zola is thoughtfully designed
|
||||
|
||||
Beyond performance, Zola is just really well designed.
|
||||
Its template syntax (thanks to [Tera](https://tera.netlify.app)) is more powerful and readable than Liquid.
|
||||
The built-in shortcodes, pagination, and asset pipelines all feel cohesive and purposeful.
|
||||
There’s very little “configuration over convention” fatigue that Jekyll often gave me.
|
||||
|
||||
And even though both systems are markdown-based, migrating wasn’t just a matter of copy-pasting files.
|
||||
I had to rethink frontmatter, adjust templates, and wrangle image paths and shortcodes.
|
||||
The structure and behavior are different enough that it felt like a real rebuild—not just a port.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## duckquill made me switch
|
||||
|
||||
The real catalyst, though? [**Duckquill**](https://github.com/daudix/duckquill), a stunning Zola theme built by [Daudix](https://github.com/daudix).
|
||||
It struck the perfect balance between minimalism and elegance—exactly the aesthetic I wanted but could never quite achieve with Jekyll.
|
||||
Duckquill didn’t just make Zola usable for me; it made it _irresistible_.
|
||||
|
||||
What really sets **Duckquill** apart—beyond its clean typography and smart layout—is how well it supports a vision of digital autonomy.
|
||||
The theme comes with **Mastodon-powered comments**, allowing for lightweight, federated interaction without relying on big centralized platforms.
|
||||
This fits perfectly with my goal of reclaiming control through **self-hosting**.
|
||||
Whether it's running my own site, owning my content, or interacting through the fediverse, Duckquill reinforces those values rather than working against them.
|
||||
It’s a rare example of design and infrastructure aligning with personal principles.
|
||||
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
## final thoughts
|
||||
|
||||
Switching from Jekyll to Zola wasn’t effortless, but it was absolutely worth it.
|
||||
I now have a faster, more reliable, and better-looking site that’s easier to maintain and feels like it fits my tooling philosophy.
|
||||
|
||||
If you're feeling the weight of your current setup, maybe it's time to try Zola—and give Duckquill a spin while you're at it.
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Add table
Add a link
Reference in a new issue