Blog Workflow Introduction

July 18, 2026

This blog is built with 11ty (Eleventy), a static site generator that transforms Nunjucks templates and Markdown files into a static HTML site. The site is deployed to a NearlyFreeSpeech.net (NFS) server via rsync.

This workflow provides a simple and efficient process for maintaining a static blog:

Edit content locally in Markdown and Nunjucks
Build with 11ty to generate static HTML
Deploy via rsync to NFS server
No server-side dependencies or database required
Fast, secure, and easy to maintain

Who This Guide Is For

This documentation is for people who want to maintain their own independent website with full control over their content. It's inspired by the Hardcore IndieWeb philosophy by Adam Newbold, which emphasizes that if your content doesn't primarily exist on your own hard drive, you don't fully control it.

For Absolute Beginners

If you're new to web development and want the simplest possible approach, I recommend starting with Adam's Hardcore IndieWeb guide. His approach uses only:

A text editor
A file transfer tool
A web host

You'll write HTML directly and upload files manually. This is the most straightforward path to complete independence and requires no technical dependencies.