To put is simply, Jekyll is a simple, blog-aware, static site generator for personal, project, or organization sites. Static websites, unlike dynamic sites like WordPress, do not use a database to store information; instead, all information to be displayed on each webpage is already contained in an HTML file for that webpage. The HTML pages that make up a static site can be completely written by hand, or you can offload some of this work using something like Jekyll. While dynamic sites are all the rage, remember that static sites do have their place in the constellation of content management systems present. To really consider Jekyll as a CMS option, it would be prudent to check out a no-fuss jekyll blog tutorial.
To really dumb it down: When someone refers to a Jekyll website, they really mean a plain HTML website that has been created using Jekyll. Jekyll is software that creates websites. Jekyll isn’t actually running the live website; rather, Jekyll is a “static site generator”: it helps you create the static site files, which you then host just as you would any other HTML website. It should be noted that WordPress is heavy with a lot of code. Even a minimal WordPress blog will have too much code. Take a minimal theme from WordPress and compare it with any Jekyll theme. You will observe a significant difference in size when you view the source.
Jekyll is an amazing tool because it comes with a lot of features that go beyond merely creating HTML pages. The healthy plugin ecosystem makes Jekyll not just a static site generator, but a full-fledged build system. One of the main features that should be relevant to any CMS would be the issues concerning search engine optimisation and how to gain visibility online. We know that when it comes to credibility and interactions having a light weight and user-friendly commenting platform is a very important factor in SEO. Static websites exclude dynamic content, by definition. But even with the most static of websites, a dynamic element is needed once in a while. A lot of website features can be implemented with services that operate solely client side.
Static websites are the best options for you to start a website in the easiest way. Security-wise, static websites are a fortress. Not having any database or any dynamic interpreter running on your servers reduces the risk of hacks tremendously. Static websites are highly recommended and are suitable for the biggest projects. The codes that are needed to start the static websites don’t change and you can run the codes anywhere you want. Static site generators are wonderful, even though they have to deal with work for which they weren’t initially created for. To avoid trading one big monolith for another, keep your tasks for the static site generator clear and manageable.
