hugo-website

hugo-website is a minimalist Hugo template for building personal academic websites, built on the PaperMod theme and deployed automatically to GitHub Pages via GitHub Actions.

What is the hugo-website template?

The template is a starting point for creating an academic personal website with Hugo. It takes your content as Markdown files and a config.yml configuration, processes them through Hugo v0.147.2, and produces a static website that can be hosted anywhere, with GitHub Pages as the documented target. The template is maintained by Pascal Michaillat, who also provides documentation at pascalmichaillat.org/b/ and a live illustration at pascalmichaillat.org/hugo-website/. It was originally designed for academic homepages, stripping the PaperMod theme down to a minimalist look.

Key Features

• PaperMod foundation — Built on the Hugo PaperMod theme, modified to be more minimalist and tailored to academic content.
• Automated GitHub Pages deployment — A GitHub Actions workflow in .github/workflows/hugo.yml builds the site with Hugo and publishes it to GitHub Pages on every push to the main branch.
• Local development server — Running hugo server from the repository directory serves the site at http://localhost:1313 with automatic rebuilds as you edit content.
• Simple configuration — Site-wide settings such as baseURL live in a single config.yml file, and you update the URL to match your chosen domain.
• MIT License — The template is freely reusable and modifiable under the MIT License.
• Documentation and examples — Full documentation is hosted at pascalmichaillat.org/b/, and the README lists dozens of real-world academic websites built from the template, including Pascal Michaillat's own site.
• Testing and compatibility — It was developed with Hugo v0.147.2 on macOS Sequoia and tested on Safari 18.4 and Mobile Safari on iOS 18; other environments may need minor adjustments.
• Performance focus — The README includes PageSpeed Insights mobile and desktop performance screenshots, indicating the generated site is optimized for speed.

Who is it for?

• Academics and researchers — Professors, postdocs, and PhD students can use the template to publish a clean homepage with their contact information, publications, and research interests.
• Job market candidates — Academics preparing for the job market can quickly stand up a professional online presence before interviews.
• Students — Graduate and undergraduate students can create a simple personal site to host their CV and project write-ups without learning web frameworks.
• Anyone who wants a minimal personal site — Because the template is minimalist, it suits people who prefer a lightweight, text-focused website over a feature-heavy design.

What can you do with the hugo-website template?

• Build a personal academic homepage — Structure your site with Hugo content files (Markdown) and render it as a static website with a minimalist design.
• Deploy automatically to GitHub Pages — After enabling GitHub Actions and Pages in your repository settings, every push triggers a build and publish cycle, so the live site updates automatically.
• Develop locally with live reload — Use hugo server to preview changes instantly at http://localhost:1313 without uploading anything until you are ready.
• Customize the base theme — Fork the PaperMod-based theme and modify templates, CSS, and content to match your department or personal brand.

How does the template work?

The workflow is straightforward: clone the repository using the "Use this template" button, then clone the new repository to your local machine via GitHub Desktop. Update baseURL in config.yml to your planned website URL (the default is https://username.github.io). Run hugo server locally to develop, or simply commit and push; the GitHub Actions workflow then builds the static site and deploys it to GitHub Pages. On the first push, you must configure GitHub Pages to publish via a GitHub Action—the ready-made "Deploy Hugo site to Pages" action is referenced in the README.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Free to use (MIT License), free hosting for public repositories on GitHub Pages, automated build and deploy, minimalist design, and thorough documentation.
• Cons: Compatibility is tested only on Hugo v0.147.2, macOS, and Safari; other Hugo versions, operating systems, and browsers may require adjustments. Content editing is file-based (Markdown and YAML), so users expecting a visual CMS may need to use a Git-based workflow.

Pricing

The template is free. It is licensed under the MIT License, and the recommended hosting path—GitHub Pages for public repositories—is free of charge. No pricing tiers are mentioned.

Alternatives

• academicpages — a Jekyll-based academic website template that also runs on GitHub Pages.

FAQ

Is hugo-website free?

Yes, this template is released under the MIT License, so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely. The recommended hosting platform (GitHub Pages for public repositories) also offers free static hosting.

How do I deploy my website with hugo-website?

After cloning the repository, update baseURL in config.yml. Push your content to GitHub and ensure you enable GitHub Actions and Pages—GitHub offers a ready-made "Deploy Hugo site to Pages" action. Each subsequent push triggers a workflow that builds the site and deploys it to GitHub Pages.

Which Hugo version do I need?

This template was developed and tested with Hugo v0.147.2. The README notes that other Hugo versions may require minor adjustments, so it is safest to use v0.147.2 or follow the Hugo version used in the GitHub Actions workflow.

Do I need to know web development to use it?

No. You create content as Markdown files and adjust settings in config.yml. For Git operations, the README recommends GitHub Desktop, which avoids command-line usage. Local preview is a single terminal command: hugo server.

Can I change the design of the website?

Yes, because the template is based on the PaperMod theme and is open source, you can edit Hugo templates, CSS, and other files to customize the look. The template has already modified PaperMod to be more minimalist and academic-oriented.