Do you remember several months ago I wrote a post about how to build github.io blog in 3 min? At that time, I was kidding that 3 min in that post title was actually the time to finish reading that post. But today, I could make this raving come true with hexo, a super simple and powerful static blog generator. I switched immediately from jekyll to hexo. Really? Why hexo, why not jekyll anymore? 😵

A net name is half-success

Everyone has his own taste on naming. Hexo vs. Jekyll which one is cooler? I cannot tell. But which one is net and easy to write. I vote for hexo.

You probably are not a clumsy-handed person, but unfortunately sometimes I am. I admit that many times I’m stupid (or drunken) to write jekyll as jeykll, jekyl, jekeyll… How about hexo? I think I still need drink more 🍷 in order to make a spelling mistake of hexo.

Node.js home lovely home

Jekyll is powered by ruby. Hexo is powered by Node.js. Personally I’m more familiar with js than ruby. Using npm to set up project and install plugins makes me feel super relax like staying at home.

On the other hand, ruby is also quite interesting to play with. Like dating a beautiful lady for the first time, I’ve to understand what she likes and what she doesn’t like and then to cater to her pleasure in order to start our relationship. Sometimes I feel embarrassed and ashamed when I made some stupid mistakes and they’re unavoidable for a newbie. This feeling will inscribe my nervous level, so uncomfortable :neckbeard:. At the end, the only ting I want is just to set up something in 3 min and spend my time on writing more posts.

Deployment? It’s a magic!

The deployment of hexo is amazing. I add my git repo info in _config.xml then run a simple command:

~$ hexo d

Done! What a magic! No need git add, git commit, git push… It’s really continent to write and publish a post.

Another good thing is that hexo organizes git repo nicely. It contains only the final static html, js and css files. Other setup related file like _config.xml or themes or plugins can be stored separately in different repositories. It’s wonderful for person who has OCD.

Setup theme dynamically

With hexo, there will be no more feeling of frustrated at changing theme. Hexo has an interesting structure to organize themes in a separate folder. Choosing a theme is like switching a cloth. And it’s possible to have collect different themes 👗 in your armoire.

Fast

Overall, hexo gives me an impression fast, starting from the command execution with one letter:

hexo s <=> hexo server
hexo g <=> hexo generate
hexo d <=> hexo deploy
hexo cl <=> hexo clean

Conclusion

According to my needs, compared to Jekyll hexo has a net name, no learning curve, magic deployment, variable themes, and it runs faster. I’m quite satisfied with hexo so far. Maybe I will give hugo a try soon. But who knows when I will switch to the next generator? 😬