Jekyll Markdown: Complete Guide
Jekyll is a static site generator that powers GitHub Pages. It uses markdown files for content and the Kramdown parser by default. Jekyll supports front matter, Liquid templating, and is one of the most popular choices for blogs and documentation hosted on GitHub.
Markdown support:Full
Markdown Support in Jekyll
| Format | Syntax | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Bold | **text** | Yes |
| Italic | *text* | Yes |
| Strikethrough | ~~text~~ | Yes |
| Headings | # H1 ... ###### H6 | Yes |
| Links | [text](url) | Yes |
| Images |  | Yes |
| Blockquotes | > quote | Yes |
| Ordered Lists | 1. item | Yes |
| Unordered Lists | - item | Yes |
| Code (inline) | `code` | Yes |
| Code Blocks | ```lang\ncode\n``` | Yes |
| Tables | | col | col | | Yes |
| Task Lists | - [ ] task | Yes |
| Footnotes | [^1] | Yes Supported via Kramdown |
| Horizontal Rule | --- | Yes |
Things to know
- Uses Kramdown as the default markdown parser.
- Liquid template tags can be used inside markdown files.
- Front matter in YAML format controls page layout and metadata.
- Natively supported by GitHub Pages for free hosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jekyll support markdown?
Yes. Jekyll uses markdown as its primary content format. It parses markdown with Kramdown by default and supports headings, bold, italic, links, images, tables, footnotes, and code blocks.
How do you bold text in Jekyll?
Use standard markdown syntax: **bold text**. Jekyll processes your markdown files with Kramdown and renders them into your site's HTML templates.
Does Jekyll work with GitHub Pages?
Yes. Jekyll is the default static site generator for GitHub Pages. You can push markdown files to a GitHub repository and GitHub will automatically build and host your Jekyll site.
Is Jekyll free?
Yes. Jekyll is free and open source. When combined with GitHub Pages, you also get free hosting for your markdown-based site.