Course · Intermediate

How to create an engineering blog with Jekyll and host it on GitHub Pages on a custom domain

Ship a polished personal engineering blog with a custom domain.

6 modules 30 chapters 10-15 hours (deep)

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This course walks you end-to-end from “what is a static site generator?” to a polished engineering blog live on your own domain - with editorial CI, sensible analytics, social previews, dark mode, and a writing workflow you can actually sustain.

It is heavily applied. Each chapter ends with a short quiz so you can check that the ideas stuck before you move on. Use the Mark chapter as complete button at the bottom of each chapter to track your progress on this device - there’s no account and nothing leaves your browser.

What you'll learn, module by module

  1. Module 1 Foundations: From web pages to a Jekyll site

    Get oriented to static site generation, install Jekyll locally, and understand the shape of a Jekyll project end-to-end.

    • Explain what a static site generator is and why Jekyll fits an engineering blog
    • Install Ruby and Jekyll on macOS/Linux without polluting the system Ruby
    • Read a Jekyll project layout and the role of `_config.yml`
    • Write a first post with front matter and Markdown
    • Run the local build and serve loop and inspect the generated `_site`

  2. Module 2 The Jekyll model: Layouts, Liquid, and content

    Internalise Jekyll's templating and content model so you can shape it to your blog rather than fight the defaults.

    • Compose pages from layouts and includes
    • Read and write Liquid templates with confidence
    • Design a permalink structure deliberately
    • Decide when a custom collection is justified
    • Drive site-wide content from `_data/*.yml`

  3. Module 3 Applied: Building the blog itself

    Use the Jekyll model to build the actual blog - pick a starting point, customise it tastefully, and shape the reader's path through the site.

    • Choose between a starter theme and building from scratch
    • Override theme files without forking the whole gem
    • Design the homepage, post page, and archive deliberately
    • Set up code blocks and typography suited to engineering writing
    • Build helpful navigation with tags and categories

  4. Module 4 Production polish: SEO, social, feeds, analytics

    Add the production-grade niceties that turn a working blog into one people can actually find, share, and follow.

    • Set up SEO meta tags and a sitemap
    • Make shared links render rich previews on social platforms
    • Publish a sensible RSS feed
    • Add privacy-friendly analytics without dark patterns
    • Keep page weight under control with responsive images

  5. Module 5 GitHub Pages and a custom domain

    Deploy the blog to GitHub Pages, switch to GitHub Actions when you outgrow the safelist, and wire up a custom domain end-to-end.

    • Understand the difference between the Pages built-in build and Actions-based builds
    • Set up a user or project Pages site correctly
    • Build with GitHub Actions for full plugin support
    • Configure DNS for an apex or `www` custom domain
    • Enforce HTTPS and verify the live deployment

  6. Module 6 Capstone: Workflow, polish, and what's next

    Make the blog something you can sustain - a writing workflow that fits your editor, CI guardrails for prose, performance and accessibility passes, and a sense of when to grow further.

    • Set up a writing workflow that respects drafts and scheduled posts
    • Add editorial CI: link checking, HTML validation, spell check
    • Run a meaningful performance audit and act on it
    • Pass an accessibility check and implement dark mode well
    • Decide what to invest in next (search, comments, newsletter)