Getting Started with Hugo: A Beginner's Guide

Getting Started with Hugo: A Beginner’s Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting with Hugo, make sure you have:

• A GitHub account
• Basic knowledge of command prompt/terminal
• A text editor (like VS Code)

Installation Guide (Windows)

1. Download Hugo

   • Go to Hugo’s official documentation
   • Navigate to the Windows installation section
   • Download the latest prebuilt binaries for your system

2. Set Up Hugo

   • Create a folder named hugo on your system
   • Inside it, create another folder named bin
   • Extract the downloaded files into the bin folder
   • You should see three files in the bin folder

3. Configure Environment Variables

   • Copy the full path to your Hugo bin folder

   • Add this path to your system’s Environment Variables

   • To verify installation, open command prompt and type:

     hugo version
     

Creating Your First Hugo Site

1. Initialize a New Site

   hugo new site project-name
   

   This will create a new Hugo site with the default directory structure.

2. Add a Theme

   • Hugo requires a theme to generate static pages
   • You can browse themes at Hugo’s theme repository
   • Install a theme using Git submodule:

   git init
   git submodule add [theme-repository-url] themes/[theme-name]
   

3. Configure Your Theme

   • Open config.toml in your site’s root directory
   • Add the theme setting:

   theme = "theme-name"
   

Creating Content

1. Create Your First Post

   hugo new posts/my-first-post.md
   

   This creates a new post in the content/posts directory.

2. Edit Your Post

   • Navigate to content/posts/my-first-post.md
   • The file will have front matter at the top:

   ---
   title: "My First Post"
   date: 2024-11-12
   draft: true
   ---
   

   • Add your content below the front matter
   • Set draft: false when you’re ready to publish

3. Preview Your Site

   hugo server
   

   This starts a local server, typically at http://localhost:1313

Tips for Success

• Always check theme documentation for specific configuration options
• Keep your Hugo installation updated
• Use version control (Git) to track changes
• Test your site locally before deploying

Next Steps

• Explore Hugo’s content management features
• Customize your theme
• Learn about Hugo’s template system
• Set up continuous deployment

Remember: Hugo is powerful and flexible - start simple and gradually explore more advanced features as you become comfortable with the basics.