Building a Simple Python Blog Generator
Building a Simple Python Blog Generator
After getting frustrated with Hugo's complexity, I decided to build my own minimal blog generator in Python. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones.
The Requirements
I wanted something that could: - Convert Markdown to HTML - Use a consistent template for styling - Generate a blog index page - Automatically update my homepage with recent posts - Be simple enough to understand in 5 minutes
The Solution
The entire system consists of just two files:
- generate_blogs.py - The generator script
- blog_template.html - The template file
Key Features
Frontmatter Support: Each blog post can include metadata:
---
title: My Post Title
date: 2025-01-16
tags: python, web
slug: custom-url-slug
---
Automatic Homepage Updates: The generator automatically updates the homepage's blog section with the 3 most recent posts.
Math Support: LaTeX expressions are automatically detected and MathJax is loaded when needed.
Usage
- Write a post in
blogs/my-post.md - Run
python generate_blogs.py - Done!
The generator creates HTML files in public/blogs/ and updates the main homepage with recent posts. It's that simple.