{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://www.adamdjbrett.com/blog/2024-12-13-my-eleventy-sites/",
  "path": "/blog/2024-12-13-my-eleventy-sites/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-11-19T03:15:34.000Z",
  "site": "at://did:plc:3vmq5usrh3yvhbrrzf4ymo23/site.standard.publication/3mpfboadoa72e",
  "tags": [
    "website",
    "11ty",
    "wordpress"
  ],
  "textContent": "When it comes to building websites, static site generators (SSGs) have become a popular choice for developers who want fast, secure, and easily maintainable sites. Among the many options available, Eleventy | 11ty stands out as one of the best. Lightweight yet powerful, Eleventy | 11ty offers flexibility and simplicity that make it a top-tier choice. But how does Eleventy | 11ty stack up against WordPress, the reigning CMS heavyweight, or Jekyll, another beloved SSG? Let’s break it down.\n\nWhy Eleventy Is the Best Static Site Generator Around\n\nWhen it comes to building websites, static site generators (SSGs) have become a popular choice for developers who want fast, secure, and easily maintainable sites. Among the many options available, Eleventy | 11ty stands out as one of the best. Lightweight yet powerful, Eleventy offers flexibility and simplicity that make it a top-tier choice. But how does Eleventy stack up against WordPress, the reigning CMS heavyweight, or Jekyll, another beloved SSG? Let's break it down.\n\n1. Eleventy vs. WordPress\n\nWordPress has long been a go-to solution for building websites, but its reliance on dynamic content generation comes with significant trade-offs. Here's why Eleventy wins:\n\nPerformance\n\nWordPress generates pages dynamically on each request, which can slow down loading times---especially for high-traffic sites. Eleventy, on the other hand, pre-builds your site into static files, making it lightning-fast for end users. Static files are also better for SEO since page speed is a ranking factor.\n\nSecurity\n\nWordPress's complexity can be a double-edged sword. Its reliance on plugins and databases introduces vulnerabilities that often make it a target for hackers. With Eleventy, your site is static, meaning there's no database to breach or server-side scripts to exploit. It's inherently more secure.\n\nDeveloper Control\n\nEleventy is a developer-first tool. Unlike WordPress, which can feel bloated with unnecessary features, Eleventy gives you full control over the codebase. You decide on the structure, templating language, and build process, without being locked into a proprietary ecosystem.\n\nNo Bloat\n\nWordPress sites often accumulate \"plugin creep,\" where additional plugins are installed for minor functionality, resulting in unnecessary overhead. Eleventy is lean by design, letting you build only what you need.\n\n2. Eleventy vs. Jekyll\n\nJekyll has been a staple of the SSG community for years, especially for GitHub Pages. But Eleventy has several advantages that make it a better choice in most cases:\n\nSpeed of Development\n\nJekyll relies on Ruby, which can have a steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with the language. Eleventy, written in JavaScript, leverages a language most web developers already know. This makes it easier to onboard and maintain projects.\n\nFlexibility\n\nWhile Jekyll is tied to its Liquid templating system, Eleventy supports multiple templating languages, including Markdown, Nunjucks, Liquid, and Handlebars. This flexibility allows you to pick the right tool for your specific needs or even mix and match templates within a single project.\n\nModern Ecosystem\n\nEleventy integrates seamlessly with modern JavaScript tooling, such as npm and bundlers like Vite. It also supports advanced features like serverless functions and API-driven workflows, making it more versatile than Jekyll for modern web projects.\n\nSimplified Build Process\n\nEleventy's setup is refreshingly simple. It doesn't require a rigid folder structure or opinionated defaults. You can drop files in any directory and configure the build process to your liking, which is much harder to achieve with Jekyll.\n\nWhat Makes Eleventy Truly Special?\n\n1.  Minimalism Meets Power: Eleventy's \"zero config\" philosophy means you can get started quickly, but it also offers deep customization options for complex projects.\n2.  Data Agnosticism: Eleventy lets you pull content from almost anywhere---Markdown files, CMS APIs, JSON files, or even JavaScript functions. This makes it highly adaptable for projects of all sizes.\n3.  Community-Driven: Eleventy's open-source community is active and innovative, consistently contributing plugins and best practices.\n4.  Eco-Friendly: Static sites built with Eleventy require fewer server resources, aligning with sustainable web development practices.\n\nWhen Should You Choose Eleventy?\n\nEleventy is perfect for developers and designers who want:\n\n- A fast, SEO-friendly site without the complexity of dynamic CMS platforms.\n- A lightweight, flexible, and modern approach to building static websites.\n- Complete control over the design and functionality of their projects.\n\nWhether you're building a personal blog, a portfolio site, or a small business website, Eleventy offers an unbeatable combination of simplicity, performance, and adaptability.\n\nConclusion\n\nEleventy isn't just another static site generator; it's a game-changer in the world of web development. By combining the best aspects of speed, security, and flexibility, Eleventy offers a superior alternative to WordPress and Jekyll.\n\nIf you're ready to embrace a minimalist, developer-friendly approach to building websites, Eleventy is the clear choice. So why wait? Dive into the Eleventy ecosystem and discover how this powerful SSG can transform your web development workflow.\n\nPostscript\nCurrent Eleventy Sites.\nI plan on transferring as many sites as possible away from Jekyll and WorPress to #11ty. Here is my list of 11ty sites so far:\n\nStatic sites built and managed\nThe red balloon emojii means an 11ty site\n 🎈 adamdjbrett.com\n 🎈 adamdj.tel\n 🎈 aila.social\n 🎈 #lakeback\n 🎈 dofd.info  \n 🎈 desecratingthesacred.com\n 🎈 stevennewcomb.com\n 🎈 doctrineofdiscovery.org\n 🎈 wocati.org\n 🎈 nabpr.org\n 🎈 pbi.nabpr.org\n 🎈 relcfp.comFreelance Web Developer\n 🎈 rs-rss.com\n 🎈 podcasts.rs-rss.com\n- thenandnow.us\n- sullivanclinton.com\n- derryveagh.com\n- stakedplains.com\n- 🎈 stephaniewyatt.net\n- 🎈 stephaniewyatt.tel\n- waysofknowingskanonh.org\n- matildaeffect.events\n- honororenlyons.com\n- spirittwinslacrosse.com\n- virtualcomedycafe.com\n- 🎈 lyons.chat\n- 🎈 doctrineofdiscovery.org\n- 🎈 podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org\n- 🎈 outcome.doctrineofdiscovery.org\n- 🎈 davidbrett.im\n- quotidian.pub \n- alexanderosmith.com\n- 🎈 podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org\n- 🎈 themes: 000000076.xyz\n- 🎈 rootedregalia.com\n\nCover Style Templates\n- 11 Covers Theme and Github repo. \n  - Adam DJ Brett | AdamDJ.tel and Github repo\n  - Cover\n  - Stephanie M. Wyatt - Card and Github repo\n\nLinkist Themes\n- 76 Oranges\n- AILA.social and github repo\n- DOFD.info and github repo\n\nMultiplicity Themed Sites\n- Input for RELCFP and Github repo\n- The Mid-Geek Crisis RSS News Aggregator and Github repo\n- The Religious Studies News RSS Aggregator and Github repo\n- The Religious Studies Podcast RSS Aggregator and Github repo\n- Theology RSS Aggregator and Github repo\n\nMy Main site\n- AdamDJBrett.com\n\n11ty Starters\n  - Inter/Swissfolio clone and github repo\n  - Monospace and github repo\n  - Monochrome Book and github repo\n  - Imbricate (μ CSS) and github repo\n  - Neobrutalist and github repo\n  - 🧱 11ty Brutalism Theme and github repo\n  - 11ty Long Reads and github repo\n  - 11ty Clean Blog by Start Boostrap and github repo\n  - 11 Covers Theme and g ithub repo.\n    - Demos: AdamDJ.tel and Stephanie M. Wyatt (tel)\n  - 11ty EDDY Template and github repo\n  - 11ty Journal and github repo\n  - 11ty Gets Tufte and github repo\n  - 11ty Strawberry theme and github repo\n  - 11ty Wisp theme and github repo\n  - 11ty Research Guide and github repo\n  \n  - 11ty Clean Blog by Start Boostrap and github repo\n  - 11 Covers Theme and github repo.\n    - Demos: AdamDJ.tel and Stephanie M. Wyatt (tel)\n  - 11ty EDDY Template and github repo\n  - 11ty Journal and github repo\n  - 11ty Long Reads and github repo\n  - 11ty Gets Tufte and github repo\n  - 11ty Research Guide and github repo\n  - 11ty Strawberry theme and github repo\n  - 11ty Wisp theme and github repo\n   \n  \nOther sites\n- Outcome\n- Mirror of Andy Bell's Thanks for the Reply Guy\n- Virutal Comedy Cafe and Github repo",
  "title": "My Eleventy Sites"
}