2024-09-15

Hello world! Where am I?

Hello world! This is my first blog post (and on my own website! 🎉). In this quick post, I will walkthorugh how I created a static site generator using zola.

What is Zola?

Zola is a fast, lightweight static site generator written in Rust. It's designed to be simple to use, with everything you need built into a single binary. Zola uses Markdown for content creation and offers a powerful templating system.

Why Zola and Serene?

Zola offers several advantages:

  • Speed: Zola is incredibly fast, generating sites in milliseconds.
  • Simplicity: With a single binary and straightforward configuration, it's easy to get started.
  • Flexibility: Zola's templating system allows for complex site structures.

The Serene theme provides:

  • Clean Design: A minimalist, content-focused layout
  • Responsive: Looks great on all devices
  • SEO-friendly: Built-in features to improve your site's search engine visibility

By combining Zola's power with Serene's elegant design, you can create a beautiful, fast, and easy-to-maintain static website. Happy blogging!

As you can see here - publish_site.yml, the build times are incredibly fast (~ 30 seconds 🚀), saving precious CI/CD hours.

Build and Deploy

Once you're satisfied with your site:

  • Build: Run zola build to generate your static site. This will create a public directory with your compiled site.
  • Preview: Use zola serve to preview your site locally. This command will start a local server and automatically rebuild your site when changes are detected.
  • Deploy: Upload the contents of the public directory to your web host or use a service like GitHub Pages or Netlify for easy deployment. Serene provides deployment instructions for various platforms.