Clean Blog Jekyll is a free, open-source Jekyll blog theme by Start Bootstrap, built on Bootstrap 4, that turns a Jekyll site into a clean, responsive blog with a working contact form.
What is Clean Blog Jekyll?
Clean Blog Jekyll is the official Jekyll version of the Clean Blog theme published by Start Bootstrap, a library of free Bootstrap templates. It takes a Jekyll site containing markdown posts and page files, and outputs a complete blog with a homepage, about page, contact page, and post pages. The theme runs on Jekyll and uses Bootstrap 4 for layout and styling. It is maintained by Start Bootstrap founder David Miller and released under the MIT license.
Key Features
Clean Blog Jekyll provides a set of features centered on a minimal blog layout with Bootstrap 4 and a contact form.
- Bootstrap 4 styling — Uses the Bootstrap 4 framework for a responsive, mobile-first layout with a clean typography-based design.
- Complete blog pages — Includes a blog homepage, about page, contact page, and an example post page with front matter for titles, subtitles, and background images.
- Working contact form — The contact page integrates with Formspree; after adding a form snippet and verifying your email in
_config.yml, form submissions are delivered to that address. - Two installation options — Install as a RubyGems gem named
jekyll-theme-clean-blogor download the core files, which include demo images, posts, and pages. - Configurable via
_config.yml— Set site title, description, email, author, and optional Twitter, Facebook, GitHub, LinkedIn, and Instagram usernames. - MIT licensed — Free to use for any purpose, including commercial projects, with no attribution required.
- Live preview — A demo is hosted at StartBootstrap.github.io/startbootstrap-clean-blog-jekyll so you can see the theme before installing.
Who is it for?
Clean Blog Jekyll suits anyone who wants a no-frills blog on Jekyll without building design from scratch.
- Bloggers who want a minimal, typography-focused design without building a site from scratch.
- Developers who need a Jekyll starting point and prefer to customize a theme via configuration and front matter.
- Portfolio or personal sites that need a clean blog format with static pages and an integrated contact form.
- Designers who want a Bootstrap-based template to adapt for client projects.
What can you do with it?
With Clean Blog Jekyll you can publish content, collect contact messages, and customize appearance through configuration.
- Publish blog posts — Write posts in markdown in the
_postsdirectory; each post supports optional subtitle and background image front matter. - Collect messages — Set your email in
_config.ymland add the Formspree contact form on the contact page to receive submissions without a backend. - Customize the look — Change the background image on any page by editing the
backgroundfront matter variable. - Build and serve locally — Run
bundle exec jekyll serveto generate the site on your local machine before deploying.
How does it work?
Clean Blog Jekyll works as a standard Jekyll theme, requiring only configuration and page files to generate a static site.
Set up through RubyGems by adding the jekyll-theme-clean-blog gem to your Gemfile, setting theme: jekyll-theme-clean-blog in _config.yml, then creating the required pages (index.html, about.html, contact.html, posts/index.html) with the correct layouts. The core-files route includes everything in the repository; you just edit _config.yml and run bundle exec jekyll serve. Both paths require Ruby and Jekyll installed on your machine.
Pricing
Clean Blog Jekyll is free and open source, released under the MIT license. There are no paid tiers or premium features; the same theme is available for anyone to use, including in commercial projects.
FAQ
Is Clean Blog Jekyll free?
Yes, Clean Blog Jekyll is free and released under the MIT license. You can use it for personal or commercial projects without paying a fee.
Does Clean Blog Jekyll include a contact form?
The theme includes a contact form template that works with Formspree. You need to set your email address in _config.yml, submit the form once, and verify the email with Formspree before it starts delivering messages.
Can I install it with RubyGems?
Yes, the theme is available as the jekyll-theme-clean-blog gem. Adding it to your Gemfile and setting theme: jekyll-theme-clean-blog in _config.yml is the recommended installation method.
What pages are included?
The theme includes layouts and pages for a blog homepage, an about page, a contact page, and an example post page. Pages are created by adding files with front matter that sets the layout and other options.
Does it use Bootstrap 4?
Yes, the theme is built on Bootstrap 4, providing a responsive grid, utilities, and components that adapt to mobile and desktop screens.
