Why choose Jekyll, and why choose Chirpy
The day after I decided to build this site, a practical question came up: what tools should I use?
I’m not a web developer, but I know there are a lot of choices. WordPress is popular — powerful, but needs a database and server, and you constantly have to update it for security. Hugo is fast. Hexo has lots of plugins. Then there’s Gatsby, Next.js, Astro… honestly, the list goes on forever. If I spent all my time researching, I’d never actually start.
So I picked Jekyll. And Chirpy for the theme.
Here’s why.
Why Jekyll? Simple — it fits what I want.
I wanted a quiet corner on the internet. Not some fancy web app. Not a page that regenerates every time someone visits. Just something simple that exists as plain text files on my computer. Portable. Not tied to any specific hosting service.
Jekyll does exactly that. It takes Markdown files, turns them into static HTML. No database. No backend code. Just text files and templates. I write in Markdown — clean, portable. When I’m done, Jekyll builds the whole site. I can host it anywhere: GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel. The site is as permanent as the words written on it.
Oh, and GitHub Pages supports Jekyll natively. So I can host everything on GitHub for free, with version control built in. Every commit is a backup, every push is a deployment. As someone learning .NET, this workflow just makes sense.
Why Chirpy? Looks matter.
I’ll admit — I’m practical. I usually care more about function than form. But a personal website is different. It’s my little corner. The way it looks represents me. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be nice to look at.
I tried a few themes before Chirpy. Some were too bare. Others had too many features I didn’t need. Chirpy was just right — clean but not empty, feature-rich but not messy.
The typography is what got me. The reading experience is clearly well-crafted. The line height, margins, contrast — all tuned nicely. I found myself lingering on the page, enjoying the whitespace. It reminded me of holding a well-made fountain pen for the first time — the balance, the weight, how it just feels right.
And dark mode sealed the deal. Honestly, I don’t really need it — I actually love light mode. But many of my friends need dark mode, so I think my blog should support it too.
There are practical reasons too. Chirpy is actively maintained, works well on mobile, has good SEO, supports tags and categories. All stuff a blog needs. But those were secondary. The main reason? It just felt right. Like finding the right pen, the right notebook — you know it when you see it.
为什么是Jekyll？ 答案很简单——它完美契合我的需求。
我需要的，不过是互联网上一方静谧的角落。不是花哨的Web应用，也不是每次访问都要重新生成的动态页面。我只想要一些简单的东西，能以纯文本的形式安栖于我的电脑里。便携，不依附于任何特定的托管服务商。
Jekyll恰好满足。它将Markdown文件化作静态HTML，无需数据库，亦无后端代码。唯有文本与模板相伴。我用Markdown书写——干净而便携。落笔之后，Jekyll便为我构建起整座站点。GitHub Pages、Netlify、Vercel，皆可承载。站点如笔下的文字，恒久而真实。
还有一点：GitHub Pages原生支持Jekyll。于是整个站点可以栖身于GitHub——免费，且自带版本控制。每一次提交都是备份，每一次推送都是部署。对于正在学习.NET的我而言，这种工作方式再自然不过。
为什么是Chirpy？ 外在的美，亦是灵魂的投射。
我承认，我是个实用主义者。平日里更看重功能而非外观。但个人网站不同——那是我于互联网上的小小领地，它的模样，便是我的模样。不必华丽，但求赏心悦目。
确定Chirpy之前，我试过几个主题。有的过于简陋，有的功能繁杂得用不上。Chirpy恰到好处——干净而不空荡，丰富而不杂乱。
真正打动我的，是排版。阅读体验显然经过精心打磨：行高、边距、对比度，无一不恰到好处。我不自觉地在页面上多停留了片刻，享受着那份留白。这让我想起第一次握住一支做工精良的钢笔——平衡、配重，一切都刚刚好。
还有深色模式，这一锤定音。其实我并不需要它，我偏爱浅色，但许多朋友需要。既然是我的博客，便也该为他们留一扇窗。
当然，也有实际的原因。Chirpy维护勤勉，移动端适配出色，SEO友好，支持标签分类——这些都是博客的基石。但它们只是次要的。主要原因？感觉对了。就像找到一支合适的笔、一本合适的笔记本——遇见的那一刻，便知道了。
I installed Jekyll, picked Chirpy, and started writing! That was the beginning of this site. A quiet corner on the internet, built with simple tools, styled with care — a reflection of the person behind it.
If you’re reading this, welcome. Make yourself at home.
下载好了Jekyll，也选择了Chirpy，开始写作！这就是这个站点的开始。互联网上一个安静的角落，用简单的工具搭建，用心装饰——一个人的互联网小窝就此诞生。
如果你是读者，欢迎。这里随时敞开大门，迎接每一位访客。
Written on the Thirteenth Day of the Fourth Moon, in the Gui-Mao Year of the Water Rabbit