What is it like using Hugo to create my first blog? Should you use Hugo too? This is my perspective as a backend developer.
Purpose
I want a place to post my half baked rambles and strange ideas, a place to document my projects, a place to simply practice writing. Preferably it should be marginally more aesthetic than geocites. My final requirements are paradoxical. I want creation, updating, and deploying to be super easy, but I still want to be able to understand everything that is happening under the hood. So I decided static site generators was the way to go, and in particular I decided to try Hugo.
Installation - Easy
I installed Hugo with my package manager. Next I needed to pick a theme. After browsing themes for 20 minutes, I decided on Eureka. To install Eureka, all I had to do was pull the src as a git module and I was ready to go.
Setup - One Day
I first copied Eureka’s example site and started messing with it, just to get a feel for how the system worked. I then removed the copied files and started working on my own. It took some fiddling, but by the end of the day I had something I could call a blog.
Bonus
One great feature I was not expecting was instant updates. With the server running, it detects changes, and updates the site. I don’t even need to refresh the browser. I just save in my text editor.
Evaluation
So far Hugo meets:
- Can make a blog
- Does not hurt the eyes
- Is easy to use
But how about the final requirement, that I understand what is happening under the hood. Well, so far I have only scratched the surface of the system. What I have seen so far is intuitive. I suspect it will not take much effort before I understand the ins and outs of the system.
Conclusion
I now have a bare bones blog. In just a little time I hope to have it up to Frontalot standards.