Hugo Clean White

Clean White is a blog theme for Hugo that ports the design of the huxblog Jekyll theme and the Clean Blog Jekyll theme into a fast, minimal static-site implementation. It takes markdown content and a Hugo site configuration as input and produces a static blog website with home, post, archive, search, and custom pages. The theme is developed by zhaohuabing and distributed as an open-source GitHub repository.

What is Clean White?

Clean White is an open-source Hugo blog theme that repackages two established Jekyll themes — huxblog and Clean Blog — for Hugo's static site generator. It focuses on blogging rather than general-purpose websites, and it sets up pages for listing posts, displaying archives, and running site search. You install it by cloning the repository into your themes directory or adding it as a git submodule, then copy the exampleSite content to start a complete blog.

Key Features

• Multiple comment systems — Supports Giscus (GitHub Discussions), Disqus, and Twikoo through config parameters; a Disqus PHP proxy option lets visitors in China post comments when direct Disqus access is blocked.
• Algolia site search — On build, the theme outputs an algolia.json index file in the public directory; running atomic-algolia via npm pushes that file to Algolia, and the /search page queries it.
• Dark mode with auto-switching — Default behavior switches between light and dark themes based on local sunrise/sunset times, updates every minute, and includes a manual moon/sun toggle in the navbar that persists across sessions.
• WeChat Pay and Alipay rewards — Enabling the reward flag displays QR codes; you replace the placeholder images in /static/img/reward/ with your own.
• Rich-content shortcodes — Includes a mind map shortcode, Plantuml diagram rendering, and video embed shortcodes for Bilibili, YouTube, and Vimeo.
• Analytics support — Optional Google Analytics and Baidu Analytics integration by setting an ID in the site config.
• Modular partial template structure — Follows Hugo theme best practices so each part is a replaceable partial HTML file, simplifying customization.
• Static output — Hugo compiles markdown into static HTML, giving fast page loads and no server-side runtime requirement.

Who is it for?

• Hugo bloggers — Users who want a clean, classic blog layout can install the theme and copy the exampleSite to have a working site within minutes.
• Jekyll users migrating — Because the theme is a direct port of two popular Jekyll themes, Jekyll users will find familiar layouts and can reuse much of their content organization.
• Technical writers — The mind map, Plantuml, and video shortcodes make it easy to publish tutorials that include diagrams and embedded media.
• Chinese bloggers — Disqus proxy access, Twikoo support, and WeChat Pay/Alipay rewards are tailored for Chinese hosting and monetization scenarios.

What can you do with Clean White?

• Launch a personal blog — Clone the exampleSite, edit hugo.toml, write posts in markdown, and run hugo server to preview; deploy the generated public folder to any static host.
• Add interactive comments — Choose Giscus, Disqus, or Twikoo and configure the parameters in the site config to let readers leave comments.
• Build a searchable site — Set Algolia credentials, generate the index with hugo, and push it with npm run algolia to enable the /search page.
• Accept reader donations — Turn on the reward flag and upload your own WeChat Pay and Alipay QR codes so readers can send tips.

How does Clean White work?

Clean White works as a standard Hugo theme: you write markdown content, set options in hugo.toml, and run Hugo to generate static pages. Comment widgets and analytics are injected based on config parameters, and the Algolia index is produced as part of the build. Dark mode automatically toggles based on the time of day and updates every minute, while a manual toggle stops auto-switching and remembers your choice.

FAQ

Is Clean White free?

Yes, Clean White is an open-source Hugo theme hosted on GitHub with no paid tier or license fee stated. You can download it, use it for personal or commercial blogs, and modify it to fit your needs.

What comment systems does Clean White support?

Clean White supports Giscus, Disqus, and Twikoo. Disqus can also be routed through a PHP proxy when direct access is unavailable, and Giscus is powered by GitHub Discussions.

Does Clean White support dark mode?

Yes, dark mode is on by default with automatic sunrise/sunset switching. You can adjust behavior with the auto_theme and dark_mode_toggle settings, and customize the dark palette using CSS variables in a custom stylesheet.

How do I install Clean White?

Clone https://github.com/zhaohuabing/hugo-theme-cleanwhite.git into the themes folder or add it as a git submodule, then copy the exampleSite directory into your project. Run hugo server and open localhost:1313 to preview the site.