---
title: Transitioning the website to GitHub Pages and Jekyll
date: 2015-03-07
published: 2015-03-07
tags: ['technology', 'git', 'jekyll']
stale: true
description: "Setting up a personal site on GitHub Pages with Jekyll. Covers DNS via Namecheap, the git workflow, and static site basics."
references:
  - '/posts/migrating-to-gitlab/'
  - '/posts/jekyll-post-archive/'
---

With the discontinuation of the free hosting option by Crucial, I found myself in the market for web hosting. My needs were simple and very low end — essentially serving a webpage with links to contact details. Migrating to Crucial's paid service made little sense.

## Domain names and DNS

I'd previously transferred `tteoh.com` from name.com.au to Namecheap, who provide a free DNS service alongside their domain names. For domains whose registrar doesn't provide DNS, Namecheap also offers a free DNS hosting option called FreeDNS.

## GitHub Pages and git

I took the opportunity to transition to GitHub Pages as a hosting platform for a lightweight blog. It's fast and reliable.

An added advantage is the git backend. While I wouldn't use all its features, it does a good job of pushing updates to files and has built-in version control.

## Blogging with Jekyll

GitHub Pages is powered by Jekyll, a blog-aware static site generator. You work with text files on your computer and Jekyll converts and renders web-ready files. Static sites require no server-side processing of PHP or databases, unlike content management systems like WordPress.