Create Your Own Blog with Hexo Tutorial

3 Min
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Starting your own blog with Hexo is a rewarding way to express yourself and connect with others. With its user-friendly setup and powerful features, Hexo caters to both newcomers and seasoned users alike. In this tutorial, we’ll explore the step-by-step process from installation to personalization, helping you launch your blog effortlessly.

What is Hexo?

Hexo is a fast, simple, and powerful blog framework powered by Node.js. It allows you to write posts in Markdown, making it easy to format your teaching content, lesson plans, and tips. Some key features of Hexo include:

  • Speed: Generates hundreds of files in seconds.
  • Simplicity: Easy to set up and manage.
  • Flexibility: Supports custom themes and plugins.
  • Markdown Support: Perfect for teachers who like clean and readable content.
  • Free Hosting: Deploy to GitHub Pages or other static hosting for free.

Deploying Hexo

Before you begin, make sure you have Node.js installed on your computer. If not, check out this tutorial.

Install Hexo CLI

  1. In any folder, hold SHIFT and right-click to select “Open PowerShell window here”. Step 1
  2. Type npm install -g hexo-cli Step 2
  3. Check if Hexo is installed correctly: hexo -v Step 3

Initialize Your Blog

  1. In the PowerShell window, type hexo init or use hexo init 'your blog' to create it in a custom folder. Step 4
  2. Change to your blog directory, then install dependencies: npm install Step 5

Generate and Preview Your Blog

  1. In your blog directory, generate your site: hexo g or hexo generate (If you’ve made changes and want a clean build, run hexo clean first.) Step 6
  2. Start the local server: hexo s. This will generate a link http://localhost:1313/. Copy it and open it in your browser. Step 7
  3. Congratulations! Your blog is now live on your computer. Step 8

Customizing Your Blog

Choose a Theme

  1. Visit Hexo Themes to find a theme you like. Step 9
  2. Download and unzip the theme. Copy it into the themes folder in your blog directory. Step 10
  3. Open _config.yml in your blog directory with a text editor. Step 11
  4. Find the theme field and enter your theme folder’s name. Step 12
  5. Edit the theme’s _config.yml (in themes/'theme'/) for additional settings, such as the scheme field. Remove the “#” to activate your chosen style.
  6. Run hexo clean, hexo g and hexo s again to see the changes. Step 13

Control How Much Content Shows on the Home Page

  • When writing a post, add <!--more-- > where you want to cut off the preview on your homepage.
  • To disable this setting, edit themes/'theme'/_config.yml, find or add scroll_to_more, and set it to false. Step 14

Conclusion

With Hexo, you can easily create a professional-looking English teaching blog to share resources, lesson ideas, and language tips. Customizing your blog and publishing new content is straightforward, so you can focus on what matters most: helping your readers learn English!

Start your Hexo journey today and inspire English learners around the world!