When it comes to building a website, you’ve got a bunch of options: start from scratch, use a CMS like WordPress, or go for a static site generator. In this post, I’ll skip the theoretical comparisons and dive into my hands-on experience with two popular generators: Hexo and Hugo.
Both are great tools for getting a site online quickly without spending hours setting up infrastructure or fiddling with a backend.
(There's a TL;DR at the end, if you're in a rush)
Wait, what’s a static site ?
A static site is just plain HTML, CSS (and maybe some JavaScript) served directly to users. There’s no server-side processing — everyone gets the same page, fast.
The downside ? Writing each page by hand gets tedious fast. That’s where static site generators come in.
What’s a static site generator ?
In short: you write your content (usually in Markdown), pick or customize a theme, and the generator builds the final HTML/CSS/JS files for you. It handles layout, links, menus, and deployment. Boom — your site’s ready.
It’s a great time-saver if you want a clean, fast site without dealing with dynamic content or databases.
Hexo
Hexo is a Node.js-based static site generator. It’s especially popular for blogs and personal sites. Markdown support is solid, and deployment to places like GitHub Pages or S3 is easy.
It has a good range of themes, many of which are community-built (check out the “themes” section on Hexo’s site). You can also extend functionality using plugins or custom JavaScript.
One thing to note: a lot of the Hexo ecosystem comes from the Asian dev community. Some themes are optimized for ideograms, and documentation can be sparse in English.
Hugo
Hugo is built with Go and known for being blazing fast and flexible. It works similarly to Hexo — Markdown content + templates + config = a working site.
Its theme library isn’t quite as big, but it’s still solid. Even if you don’t write Go, you can easily tweak an existing theme. The documentation is excellent, which helps a lot when customizing things.
So… Hexo or Hugo?
Honestly, it depends.
If you're comfy with Node.js, Hexo is a great pick. If you’ve played with Go — or just want something ultra-fast and simple — go with Hugo.
Also, sometimes the deciding factor is just a theme you fall in love with. Don't let blog rankings tell you one is “better” than the other. Use what works best for your project.
My experience
At first, I wanted to build everything myself. But when I hit the blog section, I realized I’d waste a ton of time. That’s when I discovered static site generators.
I used Hugo for a small project, and despite not knowing Go, I was able to customize a theme with the help of the docs. I also tried Hexo for a personal blog — easy to set up, but I did run into a few language/documentation hiccups with some themes.
TL;DR
Hexo and Hugo are both great options for launching a website quickly, especially if you’re on a budget or just want to keep things simple.
Whether it’s a blog, portfolio, or side project, these tools help you focus on content instead of setup.
Give them a try — and don’t be afraid to explore others like Jekyll or Gatsby too!
Until next time 👋
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