Simplest is a free, MIT-licensed Jekyll theme by nandomoreirame that builds a minimal, responsive blog with no JavaScript required.
What is Simplest?
Simplest is a static site theme built for Jekyll, the Ruby-based static site generator. It takes Markdown posts and layout templates and produces a fully static HTML website with a clean, responsive design. The theme ships with SASS preprocessing, minified HTML and CSS, built-in pagination, syntax highlighting, Disqus comments, and social share buttons. It requires Ruby and RubyGems to be installed before you can run the Jekyll serve command.
Key Features
- Clean layout — A minimal design that keeps the focus on your content.
- Responsive layout — Adapts to desktop, tablet, and mobile screens without breakpoint scripts.
- SASS preprocessor — Write styles with variables, mixins, and nesting compiled into standard CSS.
- Minified HTML and CSS — Output files are automatically minified to reduce page weight.
- No JavaScript — The site works entirely with HTML and CSS, improving speed and accessibility.
- Pagination — Splits post listings into multiple pages for easier navigation.
- Syntax highlighting — Code blocks are highlighted in posts without external JavaScript.
- Disqus comments — Integrates the Disqus commenting system for reader engagement.
Who is it for?
Simplest is for developers and writers who want a lightweight blogging setup. It suits personal bloggers who prefer writing in Markdown and want a fast static site, and front-end developers who want a SASS-based starting point to customize. Because it has zero JavaScript, it also fits performance-conscious projects that prioritize speed.
What can you do with Simplest?
- Personal bloggers: Publish a tech journal or personal blog with pagination and syntax-highlighted code snippets.
- Open-source maintainers: Run a simple changelog or project blog with Disqus comments for community feedback.
- Static site hosts: Deploy the generated HTML to GitHub Pages, Netlify, or any static file server.
How does Simplest work?
Installation is a four-step process: clone or download the repository, enter the folder, run bundle install to install required Ruby gems, and start the server with jekyll serve. The site is then accessible at localhost:4000/simplest.
Pricing
Simplest is free to use and distributed under the MIT license, so you can use, modify, and redistribute it in personal and commercial projects without charge.
FAQ
Is Simplest free?
Yes, Simplest is released under the MIT license, so you can use it without cost in any project, including commercial work.
Does Simplest require JavaScript?
No, the theme is built entirely without JavaScript. It relies on HTML and CSS for its layout and features like the responsive design and syntax highlighting.
How do I install Simplest?
Make sure Ruby and RubyGems are installed, then clone the repository, run bundle install, and finally start the server with jekyll serve.
Can I add comments to posts?
Yes, Simplest includes Disqus integration. You can enable comments by configuring your Disqus shortname in the Jekyll site configuration.
