Jekyll Detector

How can you detect if a website uses Jekyll?

Detecting whether a website is built with Jekyll involves identifying specific markers characteristic of Jekyll-generated sites.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Open the Page Source: Right-click on the webpage and select “View Page Source” or press Ctrl+U (Windows) or Cmd+Option+U (Mac) to open the page’s source code.
2. Look for the Jekyll Meta Generator Tag: Use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Cmd+F (Mac) to search for the following meta tag:
   • <meta name="generator" content="Jekyll">: This tag is often present in the head section of Jekyll sites.
3. Check for Jekyll’s URL Structure: Jekyll generates pages that often include the following patterns in their URLs:
   • Look for URLs that contain /blog/ or /posts/: Many Jekyll configurations are set up for blogs and include these directories.
4. Look for Jekyll-Specific File Extensions: Inspect URLs of resources or pages and check for file extensions commonly used in Jekyll, such as:
   • .html: The default output of Jekyll posts and pages.
   • .md: Jekyll supports Markdown files for content creation.
5. Search for Liquid Templating Markers: Jekyll uses a templating language called Liquid. Look for Liquid syntax in the source code:
   • Check for tags like {{ site.title }} or {% include %}.
6. Look for Assets in the `_assets` Directory: Check the source code for references to a directory named assets, which may contain CSS, JavaScript, or images commonly organized in Jekyll projects:
   • Example: <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/css/style.css">
7. Check for the `_config.yml` File: When viewing the website’s source or using the web inspector, look for any URLs that reference configuration patterns like /_config.yml. Although this file is not directly accessible, hints of its existence may be present in the generated HTML comments.
8. Inspect the JavaScript Console for Jekyll Comments: Sometimes, developers leave comments in the source code that indicate the use of Jekyll. Check the console or the source for comments like:
   • <!-- Built with Jekyll -->