Simplicity

Simplicity is a Jekyll theme styled with Bulma.css, designed for personal blogs and GitHub Pages, that converts a folder of Markdown files into a static website with Disqus comments and Google Analytics integrated.

What is Simplicity?

Simplicity is a Jekyll theme built with the Bulma.css framework. It takes a Jekyll site containing Markdown posts and configuration in _config.yml and produces a static HTML blog. The theme runs on Jekyll, a Ruby-based static site generator, and is designed to be deployed to GitHub Pages. The repository is maintained by bananaappletw and is released under the MIT License.

Key Features

• Bulma.css styling — the theme uses the Bulma CSS framework for its layout and component styling, giving a clean, responsive design without additional frontend build tooling.
• Disqus comments — a comments section appears below each post in production builds when a Disqus shortname is set in _config.yml; individual posts can opt out with comments: false in YAML Front Matter.
• Google Analytics — add a google_analytics: UA-NNNNNNNN-N line to _config.yml to enable tracking, and the snippet loads only in production environments (JEKYLL_ENV=production).
• Environment-aware scripts — both Disqus and Google Analytics are gated behind JEKYLL_ENV=production, so local development builds stay clean of third-party widgets.
• GitHub Pages ready — the repository clone command (git clone ... [username].github.io) is structured to deploy directly to a GitHub Pages user site.
• MIT licensed — the theme is open-source, so you can fork, modify, and reuse it freely with attribution requirements defined by the MIT License.

Who is it for?

Simplicity is aimed at developers and writers who want a minimal, low-dependency blog theme. It suits Jekyll users who prefer a tiny CSS framework over a full-featured design system, and GitHub Pages users who want to host a personal site with comments and analytics without configuring a separate static site generator.

What can you do with Simplicity?

• Personal bloggers: publish a clean, Bulma-styled blog on GitHub Pages by cloning the repository into a username.github.io repo and adding Markdown posts.
• Jekyll developers: use the theme as a starting point for custom blog layouts, since it has a small codebase and an MIT license to modify.
• Site owners who want reader engagement: enable Disqus comments by adding a shortname to _config.yml and get a comment section on every production post.

How does Simplicity work?

Installation follows the standard Jekyll workflow: clone the repository into your GitHub Pages repository, run bundle install to install dependencies, and start a local server with jekyll serve. To enable comments, add a disqus.shortname to _config.yml; for analytics, add a google_analytics tracking ID. Both features activate only when you build with JEKYLL_ENV=production.

FAQ

Is Simplicity free to use?

Yes, the theme is open-source under the MIT License, so you can use and modify it freely.

How do I enable Disqus comments on my posts?

Add a disqus: shortname: your_shortname block to your _config.yml file. Comments are enabled by default and appear only in production builds (JEKYLL_ENV=production). You can disable comments on a specific post by setting comments: false in that post's YAML Front Matter.

How do I set up Google Analytics?

Add a line google_analytics: UA-NNNNNNNN-N to your _config.yml file. The analytics snippet is injected only when the site is built with JEKYLL_ENV=production.

Does the theme work with GitHub Pages?

The README instructs cloning the theme directly into a [your_github_username].github.io repository, and the theme runs under Jekyll, which GitHub Pages supports natively.

What CSS framework does Simplicity use?

Simplicity uses Bulma.css, a modern CSS framework based on Flexbox, to provide responsive layout and components.