Helium is a fast, modern, and configurable Bootstrap 4 based Jekyll theme for blogs, featuring hero images with colored overlays, a live theme switcher, and built-in support for tags and link posts.
What is Helium Jekyll?
Helium Jekyll is a static-site theme for Jekyll 3.x, created by Antonio Trento and built on the Helium UI Kit for Bootstrap 4. It converts Jekyll posts written in Markdown with YAML front matter into a blog layout with prominent hero images, colored overlays, and smooth animations. The theme is fully compatible with GitHub Pages and is released under the MIT license, making it free to use, modify, and redistribute.
Key Features
- Bootstrap 4 and Font Awesome — Built on Bootstrap 4 (specifically the v4-alpha version linked in the README) and includes Font Awesome icons, giving you a responsive grid and a set of 100+ UI blocks from the Helium UI Kit.
- Hero images with overlays — The main blog layout displays hero images for each post, with colored overlays and animations. The Liquid code that appends the correct hero image and overlay color is in
include/utils/hero.html. - Live theme switcher — A live theme switcher lets visitors change the theme in the browser without reloading the page.
- Jekyll 3.x and GitHub Pages compatibility — Fully compatible with Jekyll 3.x and GitHub Pages. Deploy by forking the repo, renaming it to
yourusername.github.io, and editing_config.ymlwith your details. - SEO optimized — The theme comes with SEO optimization built in, so your posts are more likely to appear in search results.
- Google Analytics and AdSense support — Configure Google Analytics for traffic tracking and Google AdSense for advertising through
_config.yml. - Disqus comments — Built-in Disqus support lets readers comment on your posts without a custom commenting system.
- Tags and link posts — Tags and tag pages are generated using Jekyll's native collections, and link posts are supported for sharing external URLs.
Who is it for?
- Personal bloggers — Set up a fast, modern-looking Jekyll blog with hero images and tag pages by cloning the repository and editing the
_config.ymlfile. - Developers — Use a Bootstrap 4 based theme that integrates with GitHub Pages, Disqus, Google Analytics, and AdSense out of the box.
- Designers and tinkerers — Customize the look with 100+ UI blocks, the live theme switcher, and the partial-based structure inspired by Hydejack.
What can you do with Helium Jekyll?
- Launch a personal blog: Create posts with YAML front matter that sets hero images and overlay colors, and publish on GitHub Pages by renaming your repo to
yourusername.github.io. - Share external resources: Use link posts to quickly publish links to other sites, and engage readers with Disqus comments.
- Monetize your content: Enable Google AdSense and Google Analytics by editing
_config.ymlto track visitors and display ads. - Build a simple landing page: Use the included landing page samples to showcase a product, portfolio, or service without building a full site from scratch.
How does Helium Jekyll work?
To run it locally, clone or download the repository, navigate into the folder, and run jekyll serve. For GitHub Pages hosting, fork the repo, rename it to yourusername.github.io, and edit _config.yml with your GitHub address and social media links — your blog will then be live at that URL.
Pros and cons
- Pros: Fast, modern, and configurable; free under the MIT license; includes many features without extra plugins.
- Cons: The project is explicitly no longer maintained, and it references the Bootstrap 4 alpha version, so the code may be dated compared to current Bootstrap releases.
Pricing
Helium Jekyll is free under the open-source MIT license; there are no paid tiers or premium features mentioned in the README.
Alternatives
- Minimal Mistakes
- Hydejack
- Daktilo
FAQ
Is Helium Jekyll free?
Yes, Helium Jekyll is released under the MIT license, so you are free to use, modify, and redistribute it, including for commercial projects, without payment.
Is Helium Jekyll still maintained?
No. The project's README states at the top that "the project is no longer mantained" (sic), so you should not expect regular updates or official support.
How do I install Helium Jekyll?
Clone or download the repository from GitHub, then run jekyll serve from the project folder. For a public site, fork the repo, rename it to yourusername.github.io, and update _config.yml with your own details.
Does Helium Jekyll support tags?
Yes. Tags and tag pages are supported using Jekyll's native collections functionality, and the theme includes tag pages for browsing posts by topic.
Can I use Helium Jekyll on GitHub Pages?
Yes, the theme is fully compatible with Jekyll 3.x and GitHub Pages. Just rename your forked repository to yourusername.github.io and edit the _config.yml file.
