smigle-hugo-theme is a minimalist theme for the Hugo static site generator, built for blogs and personal sites that must run without JavaScript and without third-party tracking. The theme is maintained by Ian S. McBride and is listed on Hugo's official theme collection.
What is smigle-hugo-theme?
smigle-hugo-theme is a Hugo theme that turns Markdown content into a static website with a clean, content-focused layout. It takes standard Hugo content files and site configuration as input and produces a fully static HTML site with no client-side scripts. The theme is developed on GitLab and distributed as a Git submodule, with a live demo hosted on Netlify.
Key Features
- Zero JavaScript — The theme ships no JavaScript files, so pages render and function without any client-side scripting.
- No tracking — No Google analytics, no spyware, and no third-party tracking or analytics of any kind.
- No external dependencies — Apart from a single locally hosted font (Iosevka), the theme loads no external assets, CDNs, or comment systems.
- Optional reading time — Site or page parameters can set a reading speed or range, and the theme displays calculated reading time on posts.
- Optional post subtitle — Authors can add a subtitle in a post's front matter, which appears on summary and single post pages.
- Date format customization — The archetype uses the user's configured date format when generating new content.
- Example site included — A full exampleSite directory lets you preview the theme locally with
hugo server. - Simple installation — Install with
git submodule add https://gitlab.com/ian-s-mcb/smigle-hugo-theme.git themes/smigle.
Who is it for?
- Privacy-conscious bloggers — People who want a personal blog with no tracking scripts and no external fonts will get a fast, self-contained site.
- Minimalist writers — Authors who prefer a content-first design without visual clutter can publish posts that are easy to read.
- Hugo users — Developers already using Hugo can drop this theme into any project as a submodule and start publishing immediately.
What can you do with it?
- Launch a personal blog — Create a static blog with posts, summaries, and optional subtitles using Hugo's content workflow.
- Build a portfolio site — Use the clean layout to present projects or writing samples without any JavaScript overhead.
- Deploy to Netlify — The repository includes a netlify.toml file, so deploying the example site to Netlify is straightforward.
How does it work?
- Add the theme to your Hugo site as a Git submodule.
- Place content files (Markdown) in the
contentdirectory using the provided archetypes. - Run
hugo serverlocally or build withhugoto generate a static site. - Deploy the output to any static host, such as Netlify.
Alternatives
- colorchestra's smol — A minimalist Hugo theme that smigle-hugo-theme was influenced by, offering similar simplicity.
- Sumner Evans's smol — Another minimalist Hugo theme credited as a design influence for smigle-hugo-theme.
FAQ
Does smigle-hugo-theme use JavaScript?
No. The theme is explicitly designed with no JavaScript. All functionality is rendered with HTML and CSS, which keeps pages fast and works without script execution.
How do I install smigle-hugo-theme?
From the root of your Hugo site, run git submodule add https://gitlab.com/ian-s-mcb/smigle-hugo-theme.git themes/smigle. After that, set your site's theme to "smigle" in the config file.
Is there a demo of smigle-hugo-theme?
Yes, a live demo is available at https://smigle-hugo-theme.netlify.app/. The repository also includes an exampleSite that you can run locally with hugo server.
Does smigle-hugo-theme support reading time?
Yes. You can configure a reading speed or a range of speeds in the site parameters or per page, and the theme will display the calculated reading time for each post.
What font does smigle-hugo-theme use?
The theme loads a single local font, Iosevka, which is hosted within the theme. No external font services are used.
