How To Build and Host a Gatsby Blog

Gatsby: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Hosting a Blog with Orbiter

Gatsby, a leading static site generator built on React, simplifies the process of creating dynamic websites. Launched in 2015 as an open-source project, it's now a popular choice for developers, having been acquired by Netlify in 2023. While Netlify offers robust hosting, Orbiter provides a simpler, more user-friendly alternative specifically designed for Gatsby sites. This tutorial guides you through building and deploying a basic Gatsby blog on Orbiter.

Getting Started: Prerequisites and Project Setup

Before beginning, ensure you have the following:

1. A free Orbiter account (sign up is straightforward).
2. Node.js v18 or later (easily downloadable if not already installed).
3. A code editor (VSCode, Zed, or your preferred choice).

Open your terminal and navigate to your project directory:

<code class="language-bash">cd my-projects-folder</code>

We'll utilize a pre-built Gatsby blog template for ease of use. Execute this command in your terminal:

<code class="language-bash">npx gatsby new gatsby-starter-blog https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby-starter-blog</code>

This initializes the project and installs necessary dependencies. The terminal will then display further instructions, similar to this:

<code>  cd gatsby-starter-blog
  gatsby develop</code>

Follow these instructions. First, change directory:

<code class="language-bash">cd gatsby-starter-blog</code>

Then, start the local development server:

<code class="language-bash">gatsby develop</code>

Access your blog at http://localhost:8000. You'll see a sample blog with placeholder posts.

Personalizing Your Blog

Open the project in your code editor and locate gatsby-config.js. This file contains site metadata. Modify the siteMetadata section to reflect your blog's details. For instance:

<code class="language-javascript">siteMetadata: {
  title: `My Gatsby Blog`,
  author: {
    name: `Your Name`,
    summary: `Your brief bio`,
  },
  description: `A description of your blog`,
  siteUrl: ``, // Leave blank initially, or use your future Orbiter URL
  social: {
    twitter: `yourTwitterHandle`,
  },
},</code>

Save your changes; the browser will update automatically. Replace the default author image (src/images/profile-pic.png) with your own.

Next, navigate to the content/blog folder. Delete unnecessary placeholder posts, leaving one. Remember, Gatsby uses a folder structure where each post is a folder (e.g., my-first-post) containing an index.md file and any related assets.

Edit the remaining index.md file to add your content. Use Markdown syntax (or a WYSIWYG editor). Update the frontmatter (the YAML section at the top) to adjust the post title and description.

After saving, your changes will be reflected at http://localhost:8000.

Deploying Your Blog to Orbiter

Once you're satisfied, build your site:

<code class="language-bash">npm run build</code>

This generates the necessary files in the public folder.

Log into your Orbiter account and click "Upload Site." Select the public folder. Choose a subdomain for your site and click "Create." Your blog will be live in moments!

To update your site, rebuild (npm run build), then in Orbiter, click the gear icon, select "Update Site," and upload the updated public folder.

Conclusion

Gatsby simplifies static site creation, especially for blogs. Orbiter makes deployment incredibly easy. Start building your Gatsby blog today! My example site is available at: [Your Orbiter URL]. Remember to replace this placeholder with your actual site URL.

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