INSIDE is a single-page-application (SPA) theme for the Hexo static site generator, built with Angular to deliver a flat, clean blog experience.
What is INSIDE?
INSIDE is an open-source Hexo theme that implements a single-page application using the Angular framework, giving a flat and clean visual style to static blogs. It takes a standard Hexo project—posts, pages, and _config.yml—and outputs an Angular-based blog with server-side rendering (SSR) for SEO, a built-in search index, and progressive web app (PWA) capabilities. The theme is maintained by ikeq and distributed through npm as hexo-theme-inside, with the front-end source code hosted separately on Bitbucket.
Key Features
- Single-page application — All navigation happens client-side via Angular, eliminating full page reloads on a Hexo static site.
- Built-in Search — The theme ships with client-side search, so readers can search posts without third-party search services.
- Disqus Integration — Comments are available out of the box through built-in Disqus support.
- Content Addons — Enhanced content display includes reward buttons, copyright notices, image zooming, and support for headless and long tables, plus collapse, timeline, and content encryption addons.
- PWA & Offline — Powered by workbox, the theme offers offline support and an immersive app-like experience.
- SEO — Server-side rendering and sitemap generation are included to help search engines index content.
- Print Friendly — Pages are styled to produce clean printouts without configuration.
- Custom Theming — Colors and styles can be customized through the theme's configuration file, _config.inside.yml.
Who should use INSIDE?
- Hexo bloggers who want a modern SPA feel without migrating off Hexo.
- Angular developers who want to customize a blog theme using TypeScript and Angular components.
- Content creators who need PWA offline reading and built-in search without running extra services.
What can you do with INSIDE?
- Personal bloggers: publish markdown posts in Hexo and get a fast, client-side rendered blog with search and comments.
- Technical writers: use content addons like collapse, timeline, and content encryption to present documentation and tutorials.
- Readers on mobile: benefit from PWA offline support, which lets them read cached posts without a network connection.
FAQ
Is INSIDE free to use?
INSIDE is licensed under the MIT License, so it is free to use, modify, and distribute for personal or commercial projects.
What Hexo and Node.js versions are required?
The theme requires Hexo 7.0 or newer and Node.js 18 or newer, as shown in the project badges.
Where can I find the front-end source code for INSIDE?
The Angular front-end source is hosted separately on Bitbucket at https://bitbucket.org/ikeq/hexo-theme-inside-ng, with the theme's release history on GitHub.
