During the peak of the pandemic, I found myself with more time on my hands and a desire to be creative. I decided to start a blog, but I quickly realized I needed a platform that would allow me to focus on writing and sharing my ideas, not wrestling with code.
I initially thought about building the website myself using ReactJS, as I wanted to learn more about front-end development. However, I soon discovered that my nemesis, CSS, would pose a significant challenge. While I had some experience with React, I wouldn’t consider myself a UI expert, and the thought of spending more time fighting with stylesheets than writing content discouraged me.
So, I began exploring simpler options that would allow me to write freely without getting bogged down in the technical aspects. I considered several platforms:
- Wordperess: A popular choice for creating websites, but it requires a separate hosting plan and database management, which seemed like an ongoing cost I wasn’t prepared for at the time.
- Gatsby: This platform intrigued me with its integration of ReactJS and GraphQL, but it felt overly complex for my needs, especially for a simple blog.
- Jekyll: The ability to host on GitHub Pages was appealing, but I found the Liquid templating system to be a bit cumbersome.
- Hugo: This is where I finally struck gold! Hugo’s simple configuration, ease of use, and vast selection of themes, including the beautiful Coder theme I’m using now, made it the perfect solution.
With Hugo, I can focus on what I love – writing and sharing my thoughts – without getting bogged down in technical complexities. I’m excited to embark on this blogging journey and connect with readers who share my interests.