How to build your own website using Jekyll and Github Pages

In today’s digital era, having a personal website is an excellent way to showcase your professional skills, portfolio, or personal blog. Using Jekyll and GitHub Pages, you can easily set up and host a powerful and easy-to-maintain personal website for free. This guide will walk you through the process of creating a personal website using Jekyll templates and GitHub Pages.

Step 1: Install the Prerequisites

First, ensure that your computer has Git and Ruby installed, as these tools are essential for running Jekyll.

• Install Git: Visit the official Git website to download and install it.
• Install Ruby: Go to the official Ruby website and download the version suitable for your operating system. After installation, you can check if Ruby was installed successfully by running ruby -v and gem -v in your command line.

Step 2: Install Jekyll

Installing Jekyll via Ruby’s Gem package manager is straightforward. Open your command line tool and enter the following command:

gem install jekyll bundler

This will install Jekyll along with Bundler, its dependency management tool.

Step 3: Create a Jekyll Site

Creating a new Jekyll site is just as simple. In your command line, enter:

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

These commands create a new directory called my-awesome-site and initialize a basic website structure.

Step 4: Choose and Apply a Jekyll Template

Now, you can choose a Jekyll template that fits the theme of your website. You can find templates from various sources, such as Jekyll Themes.

• Download the template you choose and extract it into your website directory.
• Modify the _config.yml file to apply the new template settings. Each template comes with its own configuration instructions, so follow the documentation provided with the template.

Step 5: Preview Your Website Locally

It’s good practice to preview your site locally before publishing anything. Run the following command to start Jekyll’s server:

bundle exec jekyll serve

Then, visit http://localhost:4000 in your browser to see your site.

Step 6: Publish to GitHub Pages

• Create a new repository on GitHub named <yourusername>.github.io, where <yourusername> is your GitHub username.
• Push your local Jekyll site to this repository:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/yourusername.github.io.git
git push -u origin master

• Within a few minutes, your site will be accessible via https://yourusername.github.io.

Conclusion

Creating a personal website with Jekyll and GitHub Pages is not only simple but also cost-effective (actually free), providing tremendous convenience for individuals or small businesses. Whether you are a newcomer seeking employment, an experienced professional, or a hobbyist, having a personal website is a great way to showcase your talents to the world.

By following these steps, you can begin building your personal brand and connect to the global web through your personal website.