This digital playground is built on a JAMstack powered by GitHub, Netlify, and Jekyll. There are many ways to build a website. I wanted to have a lightweight approach that’s secure, performs well, and if possible, at no cost. This is where the idea of using the JAMstack came up.
The basic idea of the JAMstack is to separate development from hosting. In terms of development, I decided to go with Jekyll, a static site generator. Jekyll is set up quickly, is blog-aware out of the box (it handles post organization, tags, and pagination automatically), and it works well with GitHub and Netlify.
For hosting, a CDN is a great choice, so I went with Netlify, which comes with a free plan and offers CI/CD integration with GitHub. Once set up correctly, the workflow is seamless. I write my content in Markdown, push changes to my GitHub repository, and Netlify automatically builds and deploys my site. Within minutes, my content is live.
The result? Lightning-fast loading times since everything is pre-built static files served from locations closest to my visitors.
It’s such a joy to work with—no server maintenance, no security patches, no hosting headaches. Just pure focus on creating content.
I’ll be honest—this approach isn’t perfect for every project. If you need complex forms or user authentication, you’ll need to integrate third-party services. But for my needs as an occasional content creator, these limitations are not relevant.
If you want to have a simple setup, at low cost (your time is still of value), with a high degree of security and performance, then you may want to consider a similar setup and embrace the benefits of the JAMstack.
Getting started is straightforward: create a GitHub account, fork a Jekyll theme, and connect it to Netlify. No computer science degree required.
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