My top picks for Jekyll Plugins in 2023.
If you’d like to take a look at a more comprehensive list, check out the awesome-jekyll-plugins repo on Github.
A brief overview of Jekyll plugins
Now, you might be asking yourself, “Why should I give a damn about these plugins?” They make projects easier.
My top pick: Pagemaster
What is Pagemaster?
Pagemaster With Pagemaster, you can breathe life into your static pages, transforming them into dynamic collections with the flick of a switch. Need to create a bunch of pages for a collection or data in your project? This plugin is a life saver.
The twisted genius of Pagemaster
Unleash the power of automation: create individual markdown pages from your data sets (e.g., CSV, JSON, or YAML files containing page titles, image links, dates, tags, etc.). Just summon the plugin, and it will conjure the pages like a digital sorcerer.
How to install and use Pagemaster
- Add Pagemaster to the :jekyll_plugins group in your Gemfile:
group :jekyll_plugins do
gem 'pagemaster'
end
-
Run
$ bundle install. -
Add Pagemaster as a plugin in your _config.yml:
plugins:
- pagemaster
- Set up your collection(s) in _config.yml and add Pagemaster variables. For example:
collections:
writers:
output: true
source: writer-list.csv
id_key: id
layout: writer-profile-page
scientists:
output: true
source: scientist-survey.json
id_key: orcid
layout: scientist-profile-page
- Run $bundle exec jekyll pagemaster [collection-name], e.g., $bundle exec jekyll pagemaster writers scientists.
Results: For the writers example above, Pagemaster will:
- Look for writer-list.csv in the _data directory,
- Make a new directory called _writers, and
- Generate a markdown page for each item in writer-list.csv, named after its id value and using the writer-profile-page.html layout.
For the scientists example above, Pagemaster will:
- Look for scientist-survey.json in the _data directory,
- Make a new directory called _scientists, and
- Generate a markdown page for each item in scientist-survey.json, named after its orcid value and using the scientist-profile-page.html layout.
The final directory structure will look like this:
+-- _config.yml
+-- _data
| +-- writer-list.csv
+-- _
Jekyll SEO Tag
What is Jekyll-SEO Tag?
Jekyll SEO Tag makes SEO easier.
Features and benefits of using Jekyll SEO Tag
Comprehensive metadata generation: Jekyll SEO Tag meticulously weaves a tapestry of meta tags for your site, including page title, description, canonical URL, next and previous URLs on paginated pages, and JSON-LD site and post metadata. In doing so, it presents your content with everything you need to rank in SERPs.
Battle-tested template: While you could, in theory, do this yourself, Jekyll SEO Tag offers a seasoned template that just works.
Jekyll Admin
What is Jekyll-Admin?
Jekyll Admin gives you a CMS for Jekyll in your browser. A CMS-style graphical interface that’ll have you authoring content and administering your Jekyll sites like a seasoned pro.
Features and benefits of using Jekyll Admin
Ready to take a wild ride? Strap in and follow these installation instructions:
- Add this line to your site’s Gemfile:
gem 'jekyll-admin', group: :jekyll_plugins
Then run bundle install.
That’s it. Now by navigating to http://localhost:4000/admin you have a CMS set up for Jekyll.
Jekyll Admin’s options can be found lurking in _config.yml under the jekyll_admin key, where you can customize its inner workings to fit your twisted desires.
Want to hide some links or change the default homepage? You can!
Honorable Mentions
