Twister is a free, multimedia-focused Jekyll theme that adds dedicated post types for video, audio, image, and gallery content, paired with a Grunt-based build toolchain and a front matter generator. Created by DigitalMind and available on GitHub, it aims to make publishing rich media straightforward without leaving the Jekyll ecosystem.
What is Twister?
Twister is a free Jekyll theme designed specifically for multimedia-heavy sites. It accepts posts written in Markdown with front matter and renders them as styled video, audio, image, or gallery pages. The theme is built by DigitalMind (digitalmind.ch) and is publicly available on GitHub, where the repository has 61 stars. Its core strength is offering prestructured layouts and variables so you can publish different types of media without writing custom HTML.
Key Features
- Multimedia post types — Dedicated front matter and layouts for video, audio, image, and gallery posts; you simply set the appropriate variable and the theme renders the correct media element.
- Variable-driven customization — A large set of variables controls layout and styling, letting you tailor the theme without touching code.
- Grunt build system — Includes Grunt tasks that compile, concatenate, minify, and deploy your site assets, giving you an automated workflow.
- Front matter generator — A helper that creates the front matter boilerplate for each post so you don't need to remember every variable name.
- Extensive documentation — A full guide covers installing dependencies, customizing variables, creating posts, publishing, and setting up hosting on GitHub Pages with plugins.
- Free to use — The theme is described as free, and all source code is available to inspect.
Who is it for?
Multimedia-focused bloggers and vloggers who want a Jekyll-based site without building custom templates. Video and podcast producers looking to publish episodes with the correct embedded players. Photographers and visual artists who need image galleries and portfolio-style posts. Developers who are comfortable with Jekyll and Grunt and want a customizable starting point with automation and deployment tasks included.
What can you do with Twister?
- Video bloggers: Publish video posts with structured front matter for embedded video players and video metadata.
- Podcasters: Create audio posts that render as audio players, ideal for episode-driven content.
- Photographers: Use image and gallery post types to showcase photo sets in a clean, media-first layout.
- Web developers: Leverage the Grunt tasks to compile assets, minify output, and deploy to hosting like GitHub Pages directly from the project.
How does Twister work?
Twister follows the standard Jekyll workflow: install the theme and its dependencies, configure the site variables in the config file, then create posts using the front matter generator (or manually) with the appropriate media type. The included Grunt tasks then build the site, process assets, and can deploy it; the documentation explains each step in sequence, including how to host it on GitHub Pages with plugins.
FAQ
Is Twister free?
Yes, Twister is described as a free multimedia Jekyll theme. The source code is available on GitHub, and there are no mentions of paid tiers or commercial licensing.
What types of posts can I create with Twister?
Twister supports video, audio, image, and gallery post types. Each type uses specific front matter variables to define the media file or embed and controls how the post is rendered.
Do I need Grunt to use Twister?
The theme includes a Grunt file with tasks for compiling, concatenating, minifying, and deploying. While you could use Jekyll's built-in build commands, the provided Grunt tasks are designed to be part of the theme's workflow.
Can I publish Twister on GitHub Pages?
Yes, the theme's documentation explicitly covers hosting Twister on GitHub Pages, including using plugins, which is a common deployment scenario for Jekyll sites.
