Building a Smarter Blog with Eleventy and Open Source | LiberIT

Building a Smarter Blog with Eleventy and Open Source | LiberIT

Building a Smarter Blog with Eleventy and Open Source Principles**

The Journey to a Smarter Blog

Today, we embarked on a fascinating journey to improve the LiberIT blog. It wasn’t just about making the blog work—it was about embracing open-source values and crafting a platform that empowers us to share knowledge effectively, all while maintaining simplicity and performance.


From Confusion to Clarity

Our journey began with some roadblocks. Pagination seemed overwhelming, metadata wasn’t parsing correctly, and rendering issues left us scratching our heads. Yet, every challenge was an opportunity to refine our approach. By embracing Eleventy’s power and diving deep into EJS templates, we found solutions that were both elegant and practical.


Breaking Down Complexities

We learned that complexity often arises from misunderstanding. Simplifying the blog index by sorting posts in reverse chronological order helped eliminate unnecessary pagination headaches. Creating a reusable blog_post.ejs layout allowed us to dynamically include metadata and content for every blog post. Small steps like these made a big difference in reducing clutter and streamlining the workflow.


Key Highlights of the Day

  1. Dynamic Metadata Handling:

    • We implemented a system to auto-generate meta descriptions, keywords, and Open Graph tags based on post content, ensuring SEO optimization without manual effort.
  2. Simplified Blog Index:

    • Instead of overwhelming readers with all posts at once, the blog index now displays summaries in a clean, reverse-chronological order, complete with lazy-loaded thumbnails for faster performance.
  3. Reusable Templates:

    • By creating modular layouts for the header and blog posts, we established a framework that’s easy to maintain and scale for future posts.
  4. Debugging as a Team:

    • Debugging wasn’t just a technical task—it was a collaborative effort to explore, test, and adapt. From examining Eleventy collections to tweaking front matter, each step brought us closer to our goals.

What’s Next?

  1. Server-Side Integration:

    • In the next phase, we’ll integrate the blog generation process server-side. Submissions will trigger scripts to automatically generate SEO-optimized blog posts, fetch the slug, and share posts directly to social media platforms. This automation will simplify workflows and replace the current manual database system.
  2. Providing Value to Customers:

    • Beyond our blog, we’ll use this framework to create SEO-optimized blog solutions for our customers. Whether they’re small businesses or content creators, this framework will provide a streamlined way to enhance their online presence.
  3. Open-Source Availability:

    • As part of our commitment to open-source principles, we’ll make this framework publicly available on our GitLab repository. This ensures others can benefit from and contribute to the tools we’ve developed.

Lessons Learned

  • Start Simple: Complexity often comes from overthinking. A straightforward approach to pagination and metadata ensured we stayed on track.
  • Debugging Is Essential: Logging collections and examining templates were crucial for identifying issues and iterating quickly.
  • The Power of Open Source: Eleventy’s flexibility reminded us of the power of open-source tools and the freedom they provide to create solutions tailored to our needs.

Final Thoughts

Today’s journey was a reminder that progress isn’t just about the final result—it’s about learning and growing along the way. With every line of code, we reaffirmed our commitment to empowering others through open-source tools and values.

As we take the next steps, we’re excited about what this framework will bring—not only to our work at LiberIT but also to the broader community of open-source enthusiasts. Here’s to building smarter, faster, and together. 🚀


Let me know if you'd like further refinements or additions! 😊