Kitab

Kitab is a Hugo theme designed specifically for publishing books as static websites, turning chapter files and book metadata into a browsable online reading experience. It is aimed at authors and publishers who want a no-frills, structure-driven way to present long-form content on the web.

What is Kitab?

Kitab is a Hugo theme for publishing books as static websites. It takes a folder of chapter files plus a book-level metadata file (_index.md) and produces a multi-page online book. The theme runs on the Hugo static site generator and is developed by Darshan Baral; the page describes it as a "simple theme meant for publishing books."

Key Features

• Book section support — Each book lives in its own folder under the content directory, with _index.md holding metadata such as title, author, cover image, and date.
• Chapter-based content model — Each chapter is a separate file inside the book folder, letting authors organize long-form writing into discrete pages.
• Cover image handling — Book cover images are specified in _index.md, and an optional smaller thumbnail copy can be provided for performance when the full image is large.
• Example site included — The repository ships an exampleSite directory with a sample book (Emma) and a ready-to-copy config.toml to speed up setup.
• Static output — Because it builds on Hugo, the final site is plain HTML/CSS with no server-side dependencies, and can be hosted on any static host like Cloudflare Pages (the live demo runs on pages.dev).
• Live demo available — The theme page links to a working demo at kitab-f00.pages.dev so you can preview the reading experience before installing.

Who should use Kitab?

• Self-publishing authors — Compile a manuscript split into chapter files and get a clean, navigable website without touching design or backend code.
• Technical writers — Publish documentation or manuals as browsable books, reusing Hugo's existing build and deployment workflows.
• Open-source project maintainers — Host community books or guides on GitHub Pages or Cloudflare Pages using the theme's folder-per-book structure.

What can you do with Kitab?

• Publish a novel online: Create a content folder for the book, add _index.md with the book's metadata, and write each chapter as its own file; the theme renders them into a structured reading site.
• Run a multi-book site: Set up one Hugo project and create multiple book folders under content, each with independent metadata and chapter lists.
• Customize per book: Adjust the config.toml (copied from exampleSite) to change site-level settings, and specify per-book covers and thumbnails.

How does Kitab work?

Install the theme by cloning the repository into the themes folder of a Hugo site, then copy config.toml from exampleSite to your project root. After that, create a folder inside content for each book, add _index.md with metadata, and add one file per chapter. Hugo builds the static site, which you can deploy to any static hosting service.

FAQ

Is Kitab free?

The theme is open-source and hosted on GitHub; the repository is publicly accessible and can be cloned for free under Hugo's normal usage.

Does Kitab require a backend?

No. Kitab is a Hugo theme, so it generates a static site with no server-side code; you only need Hugo to build the site locally or in CI.

What formats can I use for book content?

Chapters are written as Hugo content files (Markdown), with metadata in _index.md using TOML front matter fields like title, author, cover image, and date.

Can I have more than one book on one site?

Yes. The content structure supports multiple folders under content, each representing a separate book with its own _index.md metadata.

Where can I see a live example?

The theme page links to a live demo at kitab-f00.pages.dev, hosted on Cloudflare Pages, and the exampleSite includes a sample book called Emma.