3 minute read

This post covers why I chose Jekyll to build my site—and why building with intention matters. You can build just for now, just for fun, or for the future you’re proud of. Hopefully this offers a little clarity and a lot of encouragement along the way.

When I started building DataInsideData.com, I wasn’t just picking a tool to publish blog posts.

I was choosing how I wanted the site to operate in production.

That distinction matters.

Jekyll isn’t just a static site generator — it’s a static-first operational model that fits naturally with DevOps/DevSecOps and GitOps thinking.

Let me walk you through why.

What “No Database” Really Means in Jekyll

At its core, Jekyll builds your entire website ahead of time.

Instead of generating pages on every request, Jekyll outputs plain files:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
  • Images

Once built, those files are what get deployed.

In practice, that means

  • 😮 No database
  • 😁 No backend runtime
  • 👏 No server-side request processing

Traditional CMS (WordPress, Drupal)

Request → Server → Database → Backend Logic → HTML → User
  • Content lives in a database
  • Pages are assembled on every request
  • Requires patching, monitoring, backups, and scaling

Jekyll

Build time → Static files → User
  • Content lives in Markdown files
  • Pages are generated once at build time
  • Hosting becomes dramatically simpler

💡 Mental model
Jekyll trades runtime complexity for build-time clarity.

❓Why This Matters (Especially for DevOps)

This design choice unlocks several benefits that matter a lot in production environments.

Speed

Static files load instantly.
There are no database queries and no server-side logic slowing things down.

Security

  • No database → no SQL injection
  • No admin panel → fewer attack vectors
  • No backend → dramatically reduced surface area

Simplicity

Your “database” becomes:

  • Markdown files
  • YAML front matter
  • Folder structure

That’s it.

Version Control

Your entire site lives in Git:

  • Branches
  • Pull requests
  • Code review
  • Rollbacks

This fits perfectly with GitHub-based workflows.

Cost

Static hosting is often free or near-zero cost:

  • GitHub Pages
  • Netlify
  • Cloudflare Pages
  • S3 + CDN

For a business or solo founder, that’s huge.

How Jekyll Organizes Content (Without the Chaos)

Jekyll gives you structure without forcing a CMS UI.

Here’s a simplified view of how content is organized:

.
├── _posts/
│   └── 2026-01-20-why-jekyll.md
├── _pages/
│   ├── about.md
│   ├── contact.md
│   └── privacy.md
├── _projects/
│   └── ci-preview-setup.md
├── _layouts/
├── _includes/
└── assets/

Posts (_posts/)

Best for:

  • Blog articles
  • Tutorials
  • Build notes
  • Thought leadership

Named like:

YYYY-MM-DD-title.md

Pages

Good for standalone pages like:

  • About
  • Contact
  • Legal pages
  • Landing pages
  • etc.

Collections

Collections are where Jekyll really shines.

They let you create custom content types, such as:

  • Case studies
  • Labs
  • Datasets
  • Documentation

Defined once in _config.yml:

collections:
  projects:
    output: true
  case_studies:
    output: true

This gives you Content Management System (CMS)-like power without a CMS.

From Content to Production (Build Flow)

Here’s the lifecycle at a high level:

Markdown + Templates
        ↓
   Jekyll Build
        ↓
     _site/
        ↓
   GitHub Pages / Content Delivery Network (CDN)

The _site/ folder is the final artifact.

Once it’s built:

  • Nothing mutates
  • Nothing executes
  • Nothing queries a database

That’s what gets deployed.

Why This Fits DevOps (and GitOps) Thinking

Jekyll naturally encourages:

  • Immutable infrastructure
  • Build once, deploy everywhere
  • No mutable runtime state
  • Predictable, testable builds
  • CI/CD-first workflows

In other words:

🎯 Key insight
You’re not just building a website — you’re building a pipeline.

This is exactly how modern infrastructure is designed.

The Big Picture

Jekyll gives you:

  • The structure of a CMS
  • The security of static files
  • The discipline of DevOps
  • The flexibility of code

For DataInsideData.com, it’s the foundation of a professional, scalable, and production-ready platform — without unnecessary complexity.

Data Inside Data™.

Tech Hands, a Science Mind, and a Heart for Community.

Updated:

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