Flexible Gatsby

Flexible Gatsby is a minimalist, open-source Gatsby starter template for building a blog, created by wangonya and inspired by the flexible-jekyll theme.

What is Flexible Gatsby?

Flexible Gatsby is a simple, clean Gatsby starter that turns markdown files in the content/blog directory into a static blog site. It runs on the Gatsby framework, with site metadata configured in gatsby.config.js and content added as markdown. The project is hosted on GitHub and deployed to Netlify, with a live demo at flexible-gatsby.netlify.com. The repository metadata describes the theme as "a simple and clean theme for Gatsby."

Key Features

• Gatsby framework — Built on Gatsby, a React-based static site generator that pre-renders pages for speed and SEO.
• Markdown-based blogging — Content lives as .md files in content/blog; the starter includes example posts to demonstrate the expected format.
• GraphiQL development tool — While developing, a GraphQL playground is available at localhost:8000/___graphql for experimenting with data queries.
• Netlify deployment — The repository carries a Netlify deploy status badge, and the demo runs on Netlify, making deployment straightforward.
• One-file configuration — Site metadata is centralized in gatsby.config.js, so changing the blog name or description is a single edit.
• Minimalist visual design — The theme deliberately mirrors flexible-jekyll, offering a distraction-free reading experience.

Who is it for?

• Bloggers who want a clean, minimal blog without a heavy CMS, since writing is just markdown files.
• Developers who know Gatsby or React and want a lean starter to customize for a personal site or client project.
• Jekyll users looking for a Gatsby equivalent, since the template was explicitly inspired by flexible-jekyll.
• Projects needing a quick static site with no backend, as all content is file-based.

What can you do with Flexible Gatsby?

• Launch a blog in minutes — Run gatsby new my-blog https://github.com/wangonya/flexible-gatsby, then gatsby develop to see the site at http://localhost:8000.
• Author posts in markdown — Drop a new .md file into content/blog and it appears as a blog post, following the example posts provided.
• Customize the site globally — Edit gatsby.config.js to update the site title, description, and other metadata used across the site.
• Deploy to a static host — Given the Netlify badge and live demo, the starter is well-suited for Netlify (or any static host that supports Gatsby builds).

How does Flexible Gatsby work?

1. Use the Gatsby CLI to create a new site from the Flexible Gatsby repository.
2. Run gatsby develop to start a development server with hot reloading at http://localhost:8000.
3. Edit gatsby.config.js to set site metadata, and add or edit markdown files in content/blog to create posts. The GraphQL endpoint at /___graphql is available for querying site data during development.

FAQ

Is Flexible Gatsby free to use?

Yes. It is an open-source GitHub project, so you can clone, modify, and deploy it for free. The repository is publicly accessible, and the starter itself can be used as the base for any blog.

How do I add a new blog post?

Create a new markdown file inside the content/blog directory. Look at the example posts that come with the starter to see the required frontmatter and body format. Once the file is saved, Gatsby will rebuild and the post will appear on the site.

What is the GraphiQL link for?

During development, visiting http://localhost:8000/___graphql opens GraphiQL, an interactive GraphQL explorer. It lets you run queries against your site's data, which is useful for understanding what data is available when customizing templates.

Does Flexible Gatsby support Netlify?

Yes. The repository includes a Netlify deployment status badge, and the live demo is hosted on Netlify, so the starter can be deployed there without additional configuration beyond the standard Gatsby build command.

Who maintains Flexible Gatsby?

The starter is authored by GitHub user wangonya and has contributions from scottelundgren, sparky005, wozniaklukasz, and SMagic-L. The repository currently has about 50 stars.