Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
They’re Back!
Modern tools for developing static sites.Brian Rinaldi - @remotesynth
Who Am I?
I’m a Content & Community Manager at Telerik
Background
The Early Days
The Early Days
Content Manage All the Things!
Content Manage All the Things!
How are Static Site Engines Different?
• No server-side language• No database (file-based content)• Customizable via templating• Extensible via plugins• Authoring via Markdown or HTML• Build and deployment processes
Dynamic Content
• Comments (Disqus, LiveFyre, Facebook)• Forms/Feedback (Wufoo, Google)• Search (Google, Swiftype, or AddSearch)• Calendars (Google)• Data (Parse, Kinvey, Telerik Backend Services)
http://modernweb.com/2013/12/16/moving-to-static-and-keeping-your-toys/
Benefits of Static Sites
• Performance• Ease of Hosting• Security• Content Versioning
These Tools are Built for Developers
399 Existing Static Site Engines*
Source: https://staticsitegenerators.net/
Let’s Get Started
How I’m Evaluating
• Documentation• Getting Started/Setup• Language Support• Templating (using defaults)• Creating Content• Dynamic/custom data• Extensibility• Project Health
Our Sample Project
Available on GitHub at:https://github.com/remotesynth/Static-Site-Samples
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• CoffeeScript-based> sudo npm install -g wintersmith
The Good News
• A good amount of plugins exist• A lot of open-source, “real-world” site
examples exist• Easy integration with npm modules (ex.
Moment.js for dates)• Easy to install/cross platform via npm
The Bad News
• Documentation is just a quick start guide (you’ll have to rely on reading the source)
• Jade• Data had to be separated into individual JSON
files
My Feelings About Jade
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• Go-based• Download executable (and update $PATH)• On OSX use Homebrew
> brew install hugo
The Good News
• So fast I thought it failed• Command-line generate new pages/post• Respects your content organization (place
posts/pages where you’d like them to appear on the generated site)
The Bad News
• Go can be very different…and you’ll need to understand Go to some degree– You’ll likely need to check the Go language
reference to build your template• Docs are missing really important details• Hard to find help if you get stuck
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• JavaScript-based> sudo npm install hexo-cli -g
The Good News
• Asset folders are a simple place to store post assets
• Decent number of plugins available (and most Octopress plugins work)
• Built-in, one-command deployment to a good number of options
• Easy install/cross platform via npm
The Bad News
• Documentation looks good but is lacking in important details (ex. data files)
• Limited pre-built themes available• Kept trying to render my JS files
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• JavaScript-based> sudo npm install -g harp
The Good News
• Supports Jade, Markdown, EJS, CoffeeScript, Sass, LESS and Stylus out-of-the-box
• Functions as a static server with built-in preprocessing
• Easy deployment option in Harp Platform (commercial)
• Easy install/cross platform via npm
The Bad News
• Documentation is very limited• No plugins or extensions beyond themes• Post metadata is separate from post• Posts are returned in the order they are in the
JSON metadata
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
(with EJS)
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• Ruby-based
• Works on Windows with RubyInstaller> sudo gem install middleman
The Good News
• Good documentation• Highly configurable and customizable• Large community and a lot of
extensions/templates
The Bad News
• Setup and configuration is complex• Requires some Ruby knowledge (if you aren’t
a Ruby developer)• V4 (coming soon) has major, potentially
breaking changes
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Which Engines We’ll Review
Getting Started
Getting Started
• Ruby-based
• No official Windows support(but a workaround is available)
> sudo gem install jekyll
The Good News
• A large and growing community• A very strong ecosystem of plugins and tools• Good documentation
The Bad News
• Windows install is “unofficial”• Does not reached beyond the hardcore
developers!• Tooling stinks for writers.
Overview
Overall:
Getting Started
Templating & Content
Custom Data
Documentation
Extensibility
Language Support
Which Engine Should I Choose?
CHOOSE THE FORM OF YOUR DESCTRUCTOR!
Deployment
• As static pages to any web server• GitHub pages, Surge• Google Cloud Storage, Azure, Heroku, Amazon
S3• CloudCannon, Netlify, Harp Platform
Repo, Article & Resources
• Articles– http://developer.telerik.com/featured/comparing-
static-site-engines/
– http://developer.telerik.com/featured/getting-started-with-jekyll/
– http://www.sitepoint.com/getting-started-wintersmith-nodejs-static-site-generator/
– http://www.sitepoint.com/creating-posts-custom-metadata-data-wintersmith/
Repo, Article & Resources
• Samples– https://github.com/remotesynth/Static-Site-
Samples• Useful Lists– https://staticsitegenerators.net/– http://www.staticgen.com/
Contact Info
Look for a free report on static sites from
Expected release August 17
Questions?
