Winter is a free, open-source Jekyll theme for building documentation websites, with multi-language support and full-content search included in a single package. Created by Connor Baer and released under the MIT license, Winter provides a fully furnished Jekyll setup that you can clone and start using immediately. The theme is loosely based on Hyde by Mark Otto, inheriting a clean, two-column layout suited for technical content.
What is Winter?
Winter is a Jekyll theme designed specifically for documentation. It takes a standard Jekyll project and turns it into a documentation site with navigation, search, and optional multi-language translation. The theme runs on Jekyll, a static site generator written in Ruby, and requires the Bundler gem as well as a Node.js package manager such as Yarn or npm for installation. Winter is not actively maintained, but bug fixes and feature requests are welcome through pull requests or issues.
What makes Winter stand out?
Winter sets itself apart from generic Jekyll themes by bundling documentation-specific features like full-text search and multi-language support into one ready-to-use setup. Here are the key features:
- Multi-language support — Winter lets you create documentation in multiple languages within a single Jekyll project, using the standard Jekyll collection structure.
- Full-content search — The theme includes a search feature that indexes the entire documentation content, so readers can find information quickly.
- Clean, readable interface — The layout focuses on readability for documentation pages, with a two-column structure inherited from Hyde.
- Fully furnished setup — Winter ships with all necessary configuration files, layouts, and styles; you only need to write Markdown content.
- Customizable options — You can adjust the theme's behavior through variables in the
_config.ymlfile, which controls site settings and feature toggles. - Built on Jekyll — Because it uses Jekyll, you can host the output on GitHub Pages or any static hosting service without a database.
- MIT license — The theme is free to use in commercial and personal projects, and you can modify it as needed.
Who should use Winter?
This theme provides value to anyone who needs a no-frills documentation site with search, and who is comfortable with the Jekyll workflow. It is well suited for:
- Technical writers — Build a professional documentation site using Markdown and Jekyll, with search and language support out of the box.
- Open-source project maintainers — Quickly create a docs site for a GitHub repository, and host it on GitHub Pages for free.
- Small teams — Publish internal wikis or knowledge bases with a simple workflow and no backend requirements.
What can you do with Winter?
Winter is versatile enough for several documentation-focused tasks:
- Launch a project documentation hub — Clone the theme, write pages in Markdown, and get a searchable, multi-language site ready for deployment.
- Create a personal knowledge base — Use the lightweight Jekyll workflow and full-text search to manage a growing set of notes.
- Publish translated documentation — Maintain multiple language versions of your docs in one repository, leveraging Winter's multi-language support.
How does Winter work?
The workflow is straightforward: clone the repository, then run bundle install to install the Ruby gems and yarn (or npm install) to install Node modules. After that, yarn start launches a local Jekyll server on port 4000, where you can preview the site. Content is added as Markdown files, and site-wide options are configured in _config.yml.
Pros and cons
- Pros: Free under MIT license; includes search and multi-language support; simple installation process; produces static output that's easy to host anywhere.
- Cons: No longer actively maintained, so updates and fixes rely on the community.
FAQ
Is Winter free?
Yes, Winter is released under the MIT license, so it is free to use and modify in both personal and commercial projects.
Does Winter support multiple languages?
Yes, Winter includes multi-language support, allowing you to maintain several translations of your documentation within the same Jekyll project.
What do I need to run Winter?
You need Jekyll, the Bundler gem, and a Node.js package manager like Yarn or npm. The theme provides a complete setup, so after installing dependencies you can start developing.
Is Winter still maintained?
The theme is no longer actively maintained by its author, but contributions are accepted. Bug fixes and feature requests can be submitted as pull requests or issues on GitHub.
