Jekyll-Bootstrap is a blog scaffolding framework for Jekyll that provides the quickest way to start and publish a Jekyll-powered blog, with 100% compatibility with GitHub Pages.
What is Jekyll-Bootstrap?
Jekyll-Bootstrap is an open-source framework that gives you a pre-configured Jekyll site structure, a built-in theme, and a set of helpers so you can launch a blog without building the boilerplate yourself. It runs on Jekyll, the static site generator, and is designed to work exactly as-is on GitHub Pages without extra configuration. The project is maintained by plusjade on GitHub, is versioned using semantic versioning, and its current stable release is 0.3.0. The framework takes a Jekyll installation and produces a static blog with support for posts, pages, and asset paths.
Key Features
- GitHub Pages compatibility — Jekyll-Bootstrap is 100% compatible with GitHub Pages, so you can publish your blog directly to a GitHub repository without additional build steps or configuration.
- Starter theme — Version 0.3.0 introduces a new theme design; the public API remains unchanged, so existing templates can upgrade without code changes, though the appearance changes.
- Semantic versioning — The project follows semantic versioning, with version 0.3.0 marked as stable; the next milestone, 0.4.0, is tracked with public issue milestones.
- Documentation website — Usage and documentation live at jekyllbootstrap.com, maintained in the plusjade/jekyllbootstrap.com repository.
- MIT License — The framework is released under the MIT open-source license, allowing free use, modification, and redistribution.
- Community contributions — The repository accepts pull requests; small, atomic features and changes are requested to be based off the
jb-developmentbranch. - Roadmap items — The 0.4.0 milestone lists completed features including GIST integration, a
JB/file_existshelper, sorting of page and post collections, and fixes for Facebook comments and asset path handling.
Who is it for?
Jekyll-Bootstrap is for developers and bloggers who want to start a Jekyll-based blog quickly without manually setting up directories, config files, and theme assets. It is especially suited for users who plan to host their blog on GitHub Pages and want a setup known to be compatible out of the box. It also serves developers who want to build on a maintained foundation: the project documents contribution guidelines and a development branch for accepting changes.
What can you do with Jekyll-Bootstrap?
- Launch a blog fast: Spin up a new Jekyll site with a working theme and structure by using the bootstrap as a starting point, then customize the theme and write posts.
- Publish on GitHub Pages: Because the framework is 100% compatible with GitHub Pages, you can push your Jekyll-Bootstrap site to a GitHub repository and have it served as a user or project page.
- Extend with features: After installation, you can add Jekyll plugins or use the built-in helpers (such as GIST integration) to embed code snippets and manage file existence checks in templates.
- Contribute to the project: Developers can fork the repository, base work on the
jb-developmentbranch, and submit pull requests for fixes and small features.
FAQ
Is Jekyll-Bootstrap free?
Yes, Jekyll-Bootstrap is released under the MIT license, which permits free use, modification, and redistribution, including for commercial projects, as long as the license text is preserved.
Is Jekyll-Bootstrap compatible with GitHub Pages?
Yes, the project states it is 100% compatible with GitHub Pages. You can publish your blog by pushing your Jekyll-Bootstrap site to a GitHub repository, and it will build and serve without extra configuration.
What version is Jekyll-Bootstrap currently on?
The current stable version is 0.3.0, which is versioned using semantic versioning. The maintainer has a public milestone for 0.4.0, which lists planned or completed fixes and features such as production-mode detection (still unchecked) and base-path support for fully qualified domain names (also unchecked).
How do I get started with Jekyll-Bootstrap?
For all usage and documentation, the README directs you to the website at jekyllbootstrap.com, which maintains the official documentation. The project also tracks a separate repository for the documentation site.
Does Jekyll-Bootstrap work with the old version's theme?
Version 0.3.0 introduces a new theme that is not backwards compatible in appearance; however, the actual API has not changed. If you need to keep the old look, the maintainer suggests running 0.3.0 in a branch to evaluate the theme changes first.
