What is the purpose of the YAML Front Matter?

The YAML Front Matter is a block of key-value pairs at the top of a Jekyll file, enclosed by three hyphens. It is used to define metadata like the page title, layout, and any custom variables. This information is processed by Jekyll to generate the final HTML page.

How can I add custom data to my Jekyll site?

You can add custom data by creating a '_data' folder at the root of your project. Inside, you can store YAML, JSON, or CSV files. This data can then be accessed from any page or layout using a Liquid tag, which is useful for creating things like team member lists or navigation menus.

What is the difference between an include and a layout?

A layout is a full HTML template that defines the overall structure of a page, including the header and footer. An include is a small, reusable snippet of HTML code that can be inserted into multiple layouts or pages, such as a social media icon block.

Beyond the Basics Understanding the Anatomy of a Jekyll Project on GitHub Pages

You've successfully set up a basic Jekyll site and understand the core files like _config.yml and the _posts directory. That's a great start. But a Jekyll project is more than just these few files. To truly unlock its power and build a clean, scalable website on GitHub Pages, you need to go beyond the basics and understand the deeper anatomy of the Jekyll project. This guide will take you on a tour of the more advanced files and folders, explaining their purpose and how they can help you build a more robust and organized site. By understanding how all the pieces fit together, you can create a project that is not only easy to manage but also flexible enough to grow with your needs.

Table of Contents

The Root of the Matter Critical Files
- _config.yml and Gemfile
- Front Matter The Metadata of Your Content
The Special Folders Deep Dive
Managing Assets and the Final Output

Jekyll is designed for developers and content creators who want full control without the complexity of a database. Its file-based structure allows for a clear separation of content, logic, and design. Understanding this structure is like learning how to read a blueprint. Once you can read it, you can build anything. We'll start by revisiting some core concepts with a new level of detail and then move on to the more specialized folders that can take your Jekyll site to the next level. This knowledge is what separates a good Jekyll user from a great one.

The Root of the Matter Critical Files

_config.yml and Gemfile

While you may already be familiar with **_config.yml** as the central control for your site, it’s worth noting its full potential. Beyond setting the site title and description, you can use it to define global variables that can be accessed anywhere on your site. For example, you can set social media handles or API keys here, making them easy to update later. The Gemfile, often overlooked by beginners, is equally important. It is the core of Jekyll's dependency management system. It lists all the Ruby gems, including Jekyll and any plugins, that your project needs. The accompanying Gemfile.lock file locks the exact versions of these gems, guaranteeing that your site builds the same way every time, regardless of where it's being built. This is a crucial safety net, especially when relying on a service like GitHub Pages to build your site automatically.

Front Matter The Metadata of Your Content

Every Jekyll file that you want Jekyll to process—whether it's a post, a page, or a collection item—must begin with **YAML Front Matter**. This is a block of key-value pairs enclosed by triple-dashed lines (---). The front matter is how you provide metadata about your content. It’s where you specify the title of the page, which layout to use, and any other custom variables you want to use. You can also use it to set a permalink for a specific page, overriding the default behavior. For example, a post can have permalink: /my-cool-post/ in its front matter to give it a custom URL. This front matter is incredibly powerful, allowing you to control how each individual piece of content is rendered without changing the core template files.

---
title: "My Awesome Post"
layout: post
author: "Jane Doe"
date: 2025-08-12 10:00:00 -0500
---

This simple block of code at the top of your files is what enables Jekyll to perform its magic. It allows you to inject dynamic data into static templates, turning a simple Markdown file into a complete, styled HTML page.

The Special Folders Deep Dive

_layouts and the Template Hierarchy

The **_layouts** folder is the heart of your site’s design. A layout is a complete HTML template, often containing the <head>, <body>, and other structural elements. You can have a hierarchy of layouts to create a consistent design. For example, you might have a default.html that sets the basic page structure, and a post.html layout that extends it with a sidebar or a comment section. In the front matter of your post, you would specify layout: post, and Jekyll would automatically use the post.html template, which itself could inherit from the default.html template. This hierarchical system is a powerful way to keep your site's design consistent while allowing for variations on different types of pages.

Layouts in Action

Your post.html file might start with --- layout: default --- to indicate it should use the default.html template. This creates a chain of inheritance, where the final page is built from multiple templates. This is a core principle of modular design that makes your site easy to maintain.

_includes for Modular Design

The **_includes** folder is where you store small, reusable pieces of code that you want to insert into your layouts or pages. Think of it as a toolbox of components. Instead of copying and pasting the same HTML for a navigation bar or a footer into multiple layout files, you can put that code into a file in the _includes folder and then use a Liquid tag to include it. For example, a file named _includes/nav.html could contain your navigation menu, and you would add {% include nav.html %} to your layouts. This modular approach keeps your code clean and makes your site much easier to update. If your navigation menu ever changes, you only need to edit one file.

_data Customizing Your Site with Data Files

For more advanced Jekyll sites, the **_data** folder is a game-changer. This folder is where you can store data in YAML, JSON, or CSV files that can be accessed across your entire site. For example, you might have a list of team members in a file named _data/team.yml. You could then loop through this data in a layout or an include to dynamically generate a team page. This is a powerful way to separate your content from your code. Instead of hardcoding a list of team members in your HTML, you can manage the list in a simple data file and let Jekyll handle the rest. This approach is excellent for creating reusable components like navigation menus, product lists, or testimonials.

Managing Assets and the Final Output

Finally, there's the distinction between your source files and the final output. Files that don't start with an underscore, like your assets folder, are considered static. Jekyll will simply copy them to the final **_site** folder, which is the complete, static version of your website that gets deployed to GitHub Pages. It's a best practice to keep your assets—like images, CSS, and JavaScript—organized in a dedicated folder. This makes it easy to manage your files and keeps your project tidy. Remember, the _site folder is the final output and should never be edited manually or committed to your Git repository. It is a temporary folder that is rebuilt every time you make a change to your source files.

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