Quick facts
- LanguageRuby
- CategoryRuby
- LicenseMIT
- Created2008
- GitHub stars49.2k
- Statusmature
Templating: Liquid Markdown
What it is
Jekyll is the SSG that started the modern static site movement in 2008. Liquid templates, Markdown, Ruby. GitHub Pages is built on it. Mature, slow on large catalogues, declining for new projects.
Best for
- Existing Jekyll sites with no reason to migrate
- GitHub Pages projects where Jekyll is the default
- Personal blogs with low post counts
When not to pick it
For new projects in 2026, pick Eleventy, Astro, or Hugo instead. Jekyll is mature but the maintenance cadence has slowed and build speed at scale is poor.
My take
Jekyll deserves respect for what it pioneered. For new sites, it is hard to recommend over Eleventy (in JS) or Hugo (for speed) or Astro (for everything else).
Links
Compare Jekyll side-by-side
Similar tools you should also consider
Eleventy (11ty)
Zero-config JS-based SSG. Templates only, no client-side JS framework.
Read the take →Hugo
The fastest SSG, full stop. Go binary, single-file install, builds 10k pages in seconds.
Read the take →Bridgetown
Ruby-based, Jekyll's ambitious successor with modern frontend integration.
Read the take →If Jekyll is your pick — the next conversation is short
The 30-min call is where your project gets a real architecture, an SEO transport plan, and a price range you can take to your team. Describe your site, your timeline, your existing content. I tell you whether Jekyll is genuinely the right call for you, and what the build actually looks like.