Stories with Tag SSG

• How I Blog with Obsidian, Hugo, GitHub, and Cloudflare – Zero Cost, Fully Owned

  permalink

  Posted: 2025-04-23 13:00:32

  Verbose tl;dr

  This blog post details a completely free and self-hosted blogging setup using Obsidian for writing, Hugo as the static site generator, GitHub for hosting the repository, and Cloudflare for DNS, CDN, and HTTPS. The author describes their workflow, which involves writing in Markdown within Obsidian, using a designated folder synced with a GitHub repository. Hugo automatically rebuilds and deploys the site whenever changes are pushed to the repository. This combination provides a fast, flexible, and cost-effective blogging solution where the author maintains complete control over their content and platform.

  This blog post meticulously details a personal blogging workflow centered around a combination of free and open-source tools, achieving a completely self-hosted, zero-cost setup while retaining full ownership and control over the content. The author leverages the power of Obsidian, a popular note-taking application, as the primary writing environment. This choice capitalizes on Obsidian's intuitive markdown support, flexible organization through internal linking, and extensive plugin ecosystem. Specifically, the article highlights the use of various plugins like "Front Matter Title", which streamlines the addition of metadata necessary for blog post formatting, and "Admonition" for creating visually distinct callouts within the text.

  The core of the publishing process revolves around Hugo, a static site generator known for its speed and simplicity. The author elaborates on how Obsidian serves as the content creation hub, while Hugo takes these markdown files and transforms them into the static HTML files that comprise the website. This decoupling allows for a clean separation of writing and publishing concerns. A critical element of this integration is the explanation of how the directory structure within Obsidian mirrors the organization expected by Hugo, facilitating seamless transfer and rendering of content. The post explicitly mentions the use of a specific Hugo theme and provides insights into configuring it for optimal appearance and functionality.

  Beyond content creation and static site generation, the author dives into the technicalities of hosting and deployment. GitHub Pages is chosen as the free hosting platform, leveraging its reliability and straightforward integration with Git for version control. The detailed steps of pushing the generated static files from Hugo to the designated GitHub repository are outlined, ensuring that any reader can replicate the setup. Furthermore, the integration with Cloudflare is explained, highlighting its role in providing a custom domain name, enhanced security through SSL encryption, and improved performance through caching and content delivery network (CDN) capabilities. This aspect emphasizes the author's focus on achieving a professional-grade online presence without incurring any financial costs.

  Finally, the post touches upon the automation aspects of the workflow, albeit briefly. While not implemented at the time of writing, the author expresses the intention to explore GitHub Actions for automating the build and deployment process. This forward-looking perspective underscores the potential for further streamlining the blog publishing pipeline, ultimately enabling a more efficient and hands-off approach to content management. In essence, the article provides a comprehensive guide to establishing a completely free, fully controlled, and technically sound personal blogging platform using a synergistic combination of Obsidian, Hugo, GitHub Pages, and Cloudflare.

  • Obsidian
  • Hugo
  • GitHub
  • Cloudflare
  • Blogging
  • Static Site Generator
  • SSG
  • Website Hosting
  • Free Hosting
  • Zero Cost
  • self-hosting
  • Digital Garden
  • note taking
  • markdown
  • git
  • Content Creation
  • personal knowledge management
  • pkm

  Summary of Comments ( 132 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43771645

  Verbose tl;dr

  Hacker News users generally praised the blog post's approach for its simplicity and control. Several commenters shared their own similar setups, often involving variations on static site generators, cloud hosting, and syncing tools. Some appreciated the author's clear explanation and the detailed breakdown of the process. A few discussed the tradeoffs of this method compared to managed platforms like WordPress, highlighting the benefits of ownership and cost savings while acknowledging the increased technical overhead. Specific points of discussion included alternative tools like Jekyll and Zola, different hosting options, and the use of Git for version control and deployment. One commenter suggested using a service like Netlify for simplification, while another pointed out the potential long-term costs associated with Cloudflare if traffic scales significantly.

  The Hacker News post discussing the blog post "How I Write My Blogs in Obsidian and Hugo, Publish Instantly" generated a moderate amount of discussion, with several commenters sharing their own experiences and opinions on similar setups.

  Several commenters praised the author's choice of tools and workflow. One commenter appreciated the simplicity and efficiency of the setup, particularly the use of Obsidian for writing and Hugo for static site generation. They also highlighted the benefit of owning your content and platform. Another commenter echoed this sentiment, expressing a preference for self-hosted solutions over relying on third-party platforms.

  A few commenters shared their own variations of the described setup. One user mentioned using a similar combination of tools but opted for a different hosting provider. They also detailed their process for automatically deploying changes using GitHub Actions. Another commenter described using Obsidian for note-taking and a separate static site generator, Jekyll, for their blog. They emphasized the flexibility and customizability offered by these tools.

  Some commenters focused on specific aspects of the author's workflow. One questioned the need for Cloudflare, suggesting alternative solutions for DNS and CDN. Another commenter inquired about the author's experience with Obsidian's mobile app for writing and editing.

  A couple of commenters offered alternative approaches to blogging. One suggested using a simpler setup with a single tool like Bear Blog, emphasizing its ease of use for those less technically inclined. Another commenter mentioned using a dedicated blogging platform like Ghost, highlighting its features specifically designed for blogging.

  While several commenters expressed their appreciation for the author's setup, some also acknowledged the potential learning curve associated with configuring and maintaining such a system. They suggested that this approach might not be suitable for everyone, particularly those who prioritize simplicity and ease of use.

  Overall, the comments section provided a valuable discussion around different blogging workflows, highlighting the pros and cons of various tools and approaches. The general sentiment leaned towards appreciating the control and ownership offered by self-hosted solutions, while also acknowledging the potential complexity involved.

• Show HN: I made a service to convert WordPress blogs to Hugo

  permalink

  Posted: 2025-01-22 17:28:20

  Verbose tl;dr

  wp2hugo.blogdb.org offers a service to convert WordPress blogs into Hugo static websites. It aims to simplify the migration process by handling the conversion of posts, pages, taxonomies, menus, and internal links. The service provides a downloadable zip file containing the converted Hugo site, ready for deployment. While emphasizing ease of use, the creator acknowledges potential limitations and encourages users to test the results thoroughly before switching over completely.

  A new online service, meticulously crafted and presented via the Hacker News forum, aims to streamline the process of migrating blog content from the widely-used WordPress platform to the static site generator Hugo. This service, hosted at wp2hugo.blogdb.org, offers a potentially valuable tool for bloggers seeking the performance benefits, enhanced security, and simplified maintenance associated with statically generated websites. The service functions by accepting a WordPress export file, commonly known as an XML export, which encapsulates the entirety of a blog's content, including posts, pages, categories, tags, and other crucial metadata. Upon receiving this file, the service processes the data and transforms it into a format compatible with Hugo, specifically producing a directory structure containing Markdown files, configuration adjustments, and any necessary accompanying assets, all meticulously organized for seamless integration into a Hugo project. This conversion process aims to preserve the original content's integrity, ensuring that the transitioned blog mirrors the existing WordPress site as closely as possible in terms of structure and styling, thereby minimizing the disruption for both the blog owner and its readership during the migration. The implicit promise of this service is a simplified transition experience, relieving users from the complexities of manual conversion, scripting, or reliance on potentially imperfect existing tools. While the precise technical details of the conversion process are not explicitly outlined in the announcement, the implication is that the service handles the intricacies of converting various WordPress elements, such as formatting, embedded media, and internal linking structures, into their Hugo equivalents. The service effectively offers a potentially automated solution to a frequently encountered challenge in the blogging sphere, facilitating the adoption of a modern static site generation approach without requiring extensive technical expertise.

  • WordPress
  • Hugo
  • blog
  • Conversion
  • Static Site Generator
  • Website Migration
  • Web Development
  • Content Management System
  • CMS
  • SSG

  Summary of Comments ( 33 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42795249

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN users generally praised the project's usefulness for those migrating from WordPress to Hugo. Several commenters shared personal anecdotes about their own migration struggles, highlighting the difficulty of converting complex WordPress setups. One user suggested adding support for migrating comments, a feature the creator acknowledged as a significant undertaking. Another expressed concern about potential SEO issues during the transition, specifically around maintaining existing permalinks. Some questioned the choice of Python for the backend, suggesting Go might be a better fit for performance. Finally, there was discussion about handling WordPress shortcodes and the challenges of accurately converting them to Hugo equivalents.

  The Hacker News post discussing the "WP2Hugo" WordPress-to-Hugo conversion service elicited a range of comments, primarily focusing on the complexities and nuances of such conversions, existing alternatives, and the author's approach.

  Several commenters shared their own experiences and challenges with migrating from WordPress to static site generators like Hugo. One user highlighted the difficulties in accurately converting the complex structures and embedded content often found in WordPress posts, particularly with plugins adding custom shortcodes and functionality. They emphasized that a simple export/import process often falls short, requiring significant manual cleanup and adjustments.

  Another commenter mentioned their preference for using a headless WordPress setup, retaining WordPress for content management while leveraging a static site generator for the frontend. This approach, they argued, offered the best of both worlds – the familiar WordPress interface and the performance benefits of a static site.

  The author of the WP2Hugo service actively engaged with commenters, acknowledging the limitations of a fully automated conversion process. They explained their focus on handling common WordPress elements and offered insights into their technical approach. They also responded to specific questions regarding the handling of embedded media and internal links, revealing the service's reliance on external libraries and tools.

  One commenter suggested exploring alternative solutions, including parsing the WordPress database directly to extract content and metadata. This approach, they argued, could offer more control and flexibility compared to relying on WordPress's export functionality.

  A recurring theme in the comments was the importance of testing and verifying the converted content thoroughly. Several users stressed the need for meticulous review and potential rewriting to ensure accuracy and maintain the original structure and formatting.

  Some commenters expressed interest in specific features and functionalities, such as the ability to handle custom post types and complex taxonomies. This feedback provided valuable insights for the author to further refine and enhance their service.

  Overall, the comments section provided a valuable discussion on the challenges and considerations involved in migrating from WordPress to Hugo, offering practical advice, alternative approaches, and feedback directly to the creator of the WP2Hugo service.