Yggdrasill

Yggdrasill is a minimal Hugo theme for building clean, content-focused static websites, installable as a Hugo module or a git submodule.

What is Yggdrasill?

Yggdrasill is a minimal Hugo theme maintained by rudeigerc. It takes Hugo site content — markdown pages and configuration — and renders a streamlined static site with a sparse, design-light layout. The theme is currently marked as a work in progress; its maintainer warns that styles may not remain the same as development continues. A live demo is hosted at https://yggdrasill.rudeigerc.dev, and the theme is released under the MIT License.

Key Features

These are the concrete features and behaviors documented in the project's README:

• Minimal visual design — The layout is intentionally sparse and draws partial inspiration from vividvilla/ezhil, MUI, and Diu.notes, prioritizing readability over ornament.
• Hugo Modules installation — Set theme = "github.com/rudeigerc/yggdrasill" in config.toml and add a module import; initialize with hugo mod init.
• Git submodule installation — Add the theme to an existing Hugo project with git submodule add https://github.com/rudeigerc/yggdrasill themes/yggdrasill and set theme = "yggdrasill".
• Two update paths — Module installs update via hugo mod get -u github.com/rudeigerc/yggdrasill; submodule installs update via git submodule update --remote.
• pnpm-based development workflow — The theme uses pnpm (via pnpm install) for linting and formatting tasks during development.
• MIT license — The theme is free to use, modify, and redistribute under the MIT License.

Who is Yggdrasill for?

Hugo developers looking for a lightweight starting point will find Yggdrasill straightforward to add to a new or existing site. Specific audiences include:

• Hugo site owners — Add Yggdrasill to an existing Hugo project using either installation method and start publishing with a minimal design.
• Theme developers — Use Yggdrasill as a base to fork and customize, since its MIT license permits modification and redistribution.
• Git submodule users — Teams that track themes as submodules can pin Yggdrasill and pull updates with a single git submodule update --remote command.

How do you install Yggdrasill?

Yggdrasill can be installed with either the Hugo Modules system or as a git submodule. For Hugo Modules, run hugo mod init github.com/your_user/your_project in your site, then add the theme import to config.toml. For git submodules, run git submodule add https://github.com/rudeigerc/yggdrasill themes/yggdrasill and set theme = "yggdrasill".

Pros and cons

Based on the README's stated facts:

• Pros: Minimal design focused on content; two easy installation methods; MIT-licensed; live demo available.
• Cons: The theme is a work in progress, so styles and layouts may change between versions.

Pricing

Yggdrasill is free, open-source software released under the MIT License.

Alternatives

ezhil, another minimal Hugo theme by vividvilla, is one of the sources that partially inspired Yggdrasill's design.

FAQ

Is Yggdrasill free?

Yes, Yggdrasill is licensed under the MIT License, so it is free to use, copy, modify, and redistribute, including in commercial projects.

How do I update Yggdrasill?

If you installed it with Hugo Modules, run hugo mod get -u github.com/rudeigerc/yggdrasill. If you installed it as a git submodule, run git submodule update --remote from your repository root.

Is Yggdrasill stable?

The theme is currently marked as a work in progress. The maintainer warns that the styles may not remain the same, and they direct users to the demo site for the latest look.

Where can I see Yggdrasill in action?

A live demo is available at https://yggdrasill.rudeigerc.dev. The README points to this demo as the latest representation of the theme.