Hugo Example

Hugo Example is a Vercel-hosted starter that pairs the Hugo static site generator with zero-configuration deployment on Vercel, published inside Vercel's official examples repository.

What is the Hugo Example?

Hugo Example is a minimal Hugo project living in the framework-boilerplates/hugo directory of Vercel's examples repository, built so it can be deployed to Vercel with no configuration at all. It takes Hugo content and templates as input and produces a pre-rendered static HTML site that Vercel builds and serves, and developers can either clone the repository or scaffold an equivalent project locally with the Hugo CLI command hugo new site project-name. Vercel maintains it as a reference implementation showing how a static site generator that is not JavaScript-based fits into the Vercel build pipeline, and a live deployment of the template is published at https://hugo-template.vercel.app.

What makes the Hugo Example stand out?

• Zero-configuration deployment — the project ships ready to build and serve on Vercel without custom build scripts or manual build settings.
• Hugo static site generator — the output is pre-rendered static HTML generated by Hugo rather than a client-side JavaScript application.
• One-click clone and deploy — a "Deploy with Vercel" button links to Vercel's clone flow pre-filled with the framework-boilerplates/hugo repository as the template source.
• Hugo CLI scaffolding — the reference project was initialized with hugo new site project-name, so its folder layout follows Hugo's standard site conventions.
• Live reference deployment — https://hugo-template.vercel.app shows the example running in production for comparison against your own build.
• Part of a large examples monorepo — the parent Vercel examples repository it lives in has more than 5,100 stars on GitHub and is tagged with topics such as examples, nextjs, and vercel.

Who should use the Hugo Example?

• Developers new to Hugo: start from a working Hugo site layout and see how Hugo's standard structure behaves when built and hosted on Vercel.
• Developers evaluating Vercel for non-JavaScript frameworks: use the example to confirm that a Hugo-generated static site deploys without additional configuration.
• Teams standardizing on static output: adopt the template as a base for a Markdown-driven blog, docs site, or marketing page that needs no server runtime.
• Tutorial authors and educators: fork the example to demonstrate Hugo project structure and deployment in a walkthrough.

What can you do with the Hugo Example?

• Static blogs and documentation sites: write content in Hugo and let Vercel build and serve the generated HTML, with the example providing the starting project layout.
• Framework evaluation: deploy the example unchanged to test Hugo build behavior on Vercel before committing to a full site.
• Custom project bootstrap: clone the repository and replace the sample content and templates with your own theme and pages.

How does the Hugo Example work?

The workflow is: create or clone a Hugo project, connect that repository to Vercel, and let Vercel build the site and serve the resulting static HTML. The page documents the local starting point — running hugo new site project-name with the Hugo CLI to initialize an empty site — plus a "Deploy with Vercel" button that automates the clone step by creating a new repository from the template. No additional build settings are described.

FAQ

What is the Hugo Example?

It is a small Hugo project hosted in Vercel's examples repository under framework-boilerplates/hugo. It exists to demonstrate a Hugo-generated static site deployed to Vercel with zero configuration, and a live version runs at https://hugo-template.vercel.app.

Is the Hugo Example free to use?

Yes. It is published as part of Vercel's open examples collection, so you can clone or fork the repository and adapt the Hugo project for your own site.

Does it require build configuration to deploy?

No. The example is described as deployable to Vercel with zero configuration, and the clone flow creates a new repository from the template that Vercel builds and serves directly.

How do I create a Hugo site like this one?

Install the Hugo CLI and run hugo new site project-name to initialize a site with Hugo's standard structure, then add content and a theme before connecting the repository to Vercel for deployment.