Understanding the Jekyll Build Process
You've seen all the files and folders in a Jekyll project, but have you ever wondered how they all come together to form a final website? The magic happens when you run the build command. Jekyll, as a static site generator, is a program that takes your source files and compiles them into a complete, static website. This process is a straightforward, step-by-step conversion from your raw content and templates into pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Understanding this workflow is essential because it helps you debug problems and make sure your files are in the right places. Let's walk through the journey of a file, from its initial creation to its final form in your live website. The entire build process is designed to be automated and predictable. Jekyll follows a set of internal rules that govern how it handles each file type and folder. It knows which files to process, which ones to copy directly, and which ones to ignore completely. This predictable workflow is what mak...