Syna is a highly customizable, open source Hugo theme for building static websites, featuring a demo, a starter repository, and full documentation.
What is Syna?
Syna is a free and open source theme for Hugo, the static site generator. It takes Hugo content files written in Markdown or other supported formats and produces a complete static website. The theme is maintained by the Syna Theme Authors and is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 for code, with documentation and examples under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. Its design lineage traces to David Miller's Startbootstrap Agency theme and Digitalcraftsman's Hugo-Agency-theme.
Key Features
- Open source licensing — The code is Apache 2.0 licensed, allowing free commercial and personal use, modification, and redistribution.
- Highly customizable — The theme is explicitly designed for customization, as described in its official tagline.
- Starter repository — A dedicated starter repo provides a ready-to-use Hugo site foundation, so you can begin without setting up from scratch.
- Live demo — A working demo is available at syna.okkur.org/demo to evaluate the theme before installing.
- Full documentation — The official docs at syna.okkur.org/docs cover installation, configuration, and customization.
- Release notes — A changelog documents changes for each version, helping you track updates.
- Agency theme heritage — The theme builds on the popular Startbootstrap Agency theme, giving it a proven design structure for agency and portfolio sites.
Who is it for?
- Hugo users — Anyone who uses the Hugo static site generator and wants a pre-built, open source theme with documentation.
- Agencies and freelancers — The theme's origin in the Agency theme makes it a natural fit for agency portfolios, services pages, and contact sections.
- Developers — Those who want to customize a theme and have full Apache 2.0 license freedom, plus a documentation set to guide the process.
What can you do with Syna?
- Create a new Hugo site quickly — Use the starter repository to scaffold a site and then modify content and configuration to your needs.
- Customize a theme for a client — With full documentation and a permissive license, you can adapt Syna for client projects and resell the result.
- Explore the design — The live demo gives you a concrete preview of the theme's look and layout before you install it.
How does Syna work?
Syna operates as a standard Hugo theme: you write content in Markdown, configure your site in Hugo's configuration files, and run the Hugo generator to build a static website. The recommended starting point is the starter repo, and the official documentation walks through the setup and customization steps.
Pricing
Syna is free and open source. The theme is distributed under the Apache License 2.0, so there is no cost to use or modify it, and there is no paid or premium tier.
FAQ
What license is Syna released under?
The code is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, which permits commercial use, modification, and distribution. The documentation and examples are released under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license, which requires attribution and requires derivative works to use the same license.
Does Syna include a demo?
Yes, a live demo is hosted at syna.okkur.org/demo. The project site also offers a starter repository at syna.okkur.org/start for creating a new site.
Can I use Syna commercially?
Yes, the Apache 2.0 license allows commercial usage and doesn't require you to share your own code. Just note that the documentation license (CC BY-SA 4.0) applies if you reuse the docs or examples.
Where can I find the documentation?
Full documentation is available at syna.okkur.org/docs, covering installation, configuration, and theme customization. There are also release notes linked from the same site.
