Eleventy Site is a minimal starter template for building static websites with the Eleventy static site generator (11ty), offering npm scripts for a local dev server and a production build output.
What is Eleventy Site?
Eleventy Site is a boilerplate repository created by bjankord that scaffolds a new Eleventy project. It accepts your content and template files in Eleventy's supported formats and outputs a static site of plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The repository provides a minimal folder structure, a demo hosted on GitHub Pages at https://bjankord.github.io/eleventy-site/, and two npm commands—npm run serve for local preview and npm run build for generating the static files for deployment.
Key Features
- Eleventy-based tech stack — The starter uses Eleventy (11ty) as the static site generator; no CSS framework or UI library is listed in the project, so styling is left entirely to the user.
- Two npm scripts —
npm run servestarts a development server, andnpm run buildcompiles the site into static output. - Three initialization methods — Clone the GitHub repository, run
npm init @bjankord/eleventy-site my-site(npm 6+), or runnpx @bjankord/create-eleventy-site my-site(npm 5+). - GitHub Pages demo — The generated site is demonstrated at https://bjankord.github.io/eleventy-site/, giving you a preview of the default output.
- Official documentation link — The README points to https://www.11ty.dev/ for Eleventy's full documentation and configuration guides.
- Minimal dependency footprint — As a simple starter, it intentionally keeps dependencies and configuration light so you can build your own structure.
Who is it for?
- Front-end developers — Use this starter to quickly scaffold an Eleventy project and start writing content in your preferred template language without setting up the build pipeline by hand.
- Static site enthusiasts — Anyone wanting a no-frills generator that outputs static HTML for fast loading and simple hosting can take this repo and extend it.
- Developers evaluating 11ty — The small codebase and demo make it an easy way to learn how Eleventy behaves in practice before committing to a larger project.
What can you do with Eleventy Site?
- Launch a personal blog — Write Markdown posts and run the build to generate a static blog ready to host on any static server.
- Build a small business site — Use the starter as the foundation for a multi-page site with its own navigation, content, and styles that you add.
- Prototype a documentation site — Because Eleventy supports structured content, you can use this minimalist base to generate documentation with a simple layout.
How does Eleventy Site work?
After you install the starter via clone, npm init, or npx, you edit the Eleventy source files in the project. Running npm run serve starts a local dev server with live preview; running npm run build compiles the project into a static site that you can upload to any static host.
FAQ
What is Eleventy (11ty)?
Eleventy is a simpler static site generator that transforms template files into HTML. It uses JavaScript and supports multiple template languages, and it's designed to be flexible and fast without requiring a front-end framework.
How do I start the development server?
Run npm run serve after installing the project. This command starts a local server so you can preview changes as you edit your content.
How do I generate the static site?
Run npm run build in the project directory. Eleventy processes the content and outputs the final HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files into a build folder, ready for deployment.
What npm version do I need for the scaffolding commands?
The npm init method requires npm 6 or newer; the npx command works with npm 5 or newer. If you clone the repository, no specific npm version is needed beyond having npm available.
Does this starter include a styling framework?
No CSS framework is mentioned in the repository documentation. The starter ships without Tailwind, Bootstrap, or any other preconfigured styling system, so you'll add your own CSS or framework.
