Arlind Musliu
May 27, 2020 · 4 min read · 185 views
May 27, 2020 · 4 min read · 185 views
We used to support Jigsaw and liked what it could do. But now, we've moved to different solutions that fit our changing needs better. We want to be open and keep learning as technology changes. So, we've decided to keep this article in our blog's history. It shows how we've grown and adapted. Nowadays we use Statamic as a headless CMS for deploying static sites.
Static sites are coming back strong in web development, offering great speed, security, and simplicity. Jigsaw is a top framework for building these sites. It's similar to Laravel and comes with Blade templating for a smooth development experience. If you know Laravel and Blade templates, you'll easily get how Jigsaw works.
Static sites are simple, which means they load fast, are more secure, and are easy to put up. Jigsaw makes this even better by giving developers a simple way to work while still using cool tools like Blade, TailwindCSS, and VueJS.
To start using Jigsaw, just run this command in Composer, the PHP manager:
composer require tightenco/jigsaw
Now you're set to start making your static site with the tools you want.
With Jigsaw, you can use Markdown to make content-heavy sites. Markdown is easy to learn and perfect for writing blog posts, or documentation pages. If you're new to it, check out a Markdown Cheatsheet to learn the basics fast, from headers (# Heading1) to emphasis (*italic* and **bold**).
After installing Jigsaw, mix in other tech like Tailwind CSS for style and VueJS for the interactive parts. Set up a main layout with a header and footer and tweak Tailwind to look how you want.
Make new pages and connect them to your main layout for a consistent style. Organize special content like blog posts or portfolios in folders with Markdown files. These files have your writing and extra info like titles and images.
For each kind of content, make a Blade template in Jigsaw. This lets you organize your Markdown files. Using one template for a content section, like projects, makes sure everything looks the same but shows different content.
Jigsaw integrates with tools like Purge CSS, which strips away and removes unused CSS code. This results in a lighter, faster-loading site that still looks great and functions flawlessly.
Once your site is designed and filled with content, the final step is to compile the code. Jigsaw turns it into a static site ready to go up on your hosting service. Follow the guidelines on the official Jigsaw documentation to learn how to do this.
While Jigsaw is a fantastic choice for many developers, it's worth noting that alternatives like Sculpin, Couscous, Spress, Yellow, and Carew exist. However, Jigsaw's alignment with Laravel's technology stack often makes it the preferred choice for those familiar with the Laravel ecosystem. Nowadays we use Statamic as a headless CMS for deploying static sites.
Jigsaw with Tailwind CSS and VueJS is a strong combo for making static sites fast. These tools let developers start quick and focus on making great websites.
This article is part of our ongoing series, "Which technologies do we use and why?", where we explain the technologies that we use on a daily basis and the reasons behind our choices.
If you need help with a Laravel project let's get in touch.
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