Jekyll

Learn how to deploy Jekyll static sites with Forge for optimal performance and ease of use.

Overview

Jekyll is a popular ruby-based static site generator (SSG) tool. You can continuously deploy your Jekyll sites to Forge.

Getting Started

Go to your Site Settings > Cloud Compilers and select Jekyll.

Now when you push to your GitHub repository, Forge will automatically run the Jekyll build process, before making your site ready for deployment to the global CDN.

Prerequisites

Before deploying a Jekyll site with Forge:

• Ensure you have a Jekyll project with a proper Gemfile
• Configure your Jekyll site for production builds
• Set up your _config.yml file correctly
• Test your site locally with jekyll serve

Configuration

Configure your Jekyll site for Forge deployment:

Gemfile Configuration

Ensure your Gemfile includes:

source "https://rubygems.org"

gem "jekyll"
gem "webrick" # Required for Ruby 3.0+

Jekyll Configuration

Update your _config.yml for production:

# Site settings
title: Your Site Title
description: Your site description

# Build settings
destination: _site
plugins: []

# Production settings
url: "https://yoursite.getforge.io"
baseurl: ""

Build Settings

Unlike some other static site generators, Forge does not auto-detect Jekyll projects. You must manually specify Jekyll in your build settings:

1. Navigate to your Site Settings
2. Go to Cloud Compilers section
3. Select Jekyll from the available options
4. Configure your build command and output directory

Deployment Options

You can deploy Jekyll sites using:

• GitHub Sync: Connect your repository for automatic deployments
• Drag & Drop: Upload the built _site folder
• Forge CLI: Use the command line for deployments

Build Process

Once configured, Forge handles the Jekyll build process:

1. Installs Ruby dependencies from Gemfile
2. Runs jekyll build to generate static files
3. Deploys the contents of the _site directory
4. Optimizes assets for production
5. Deploys to the global CDN

Custom Build Commands

If you need custom build commands, create a build script:

#!/bin/bash
# Custom build script
bundle install
bundle exec jekyll build
# Additional build steps here

Performance Optimization

Optimize your Jekyll site for Forge:

• Use Jekyll's built-in asset optimization
• Enable gzip compression
• Optimize images and other assets
• Use CDN for static assets
• Minimize HTTP requests

Troubleshooting

Common Jekyll deployment issues:

• Build failures: Check your Gemfile and dependencies
• Missing plugins: Ensure plugins are in your Gemfile
• Configuration errors: Validate your _config.yml syntax
• Asset issues: Check file paths and references