This guide covers how to deploy your Hugo site on various hosting platforms, from static site hosts to cloud providers.

Prerequisites

• Hugo site ready for deployment
• Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, etc.)
• Basic command line knowledge

Quick Comparison

Netlify (Recommended)

Best for: Beginners, continuous deployment, form handling

Deploying to GitHub Pages with Hugo

This guide explains how to deploy your PKB-theme site to GitHub Pages using Hugo’s built-in capabilities.

Prerequisites

• Hugo Extended version installed
• Git repository initialized
• GitHub account
• PKB-theme installed as a submodule

Configuration Steps

1. Update config.toml

   baseURL = "https://username.github.io/repository-name/"
   theme = "PKB-theme"
   publishDir = "docs"  # Required for GitHub Pages
   

2. Create GitHub Workflow Create .github/workflows/hugo.yml:

   name: Deploy Hugo site
   
   on:
     push:
       branches:
         - main
   
   jobs:
     deploy:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v3
           with:
             submodules: true
             fetch-depth: 0
   
         - name: Setup Hugo
           uses: peaceiris/actions-hugo@v2
           with:
             hugo-version: 'latest'
             extended: true
   
         - name: Build
           run: hugo --minify
   
         - name: Deploy
           uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
           with:
             github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
             publish_dir: ./public
   

Repository Settings

1. Go to repository Settings → Pages
2. Set Source to:
   • Deploy from a branch
   • Branch: gh-pages (created by the workflow)
   • Folder: / (root)

Local Testing

# Build site
hugo

# Test locally
hugo server

# Deploy changes
git add .
git commit -m "Update site content"
git push origin main

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:

Deploying with exampleSite

The PKB-theme includes an exampleSite directory that serves as both a demo and a template for your own site.

Quick Start

1. Copy exampleSite Contents

   cp -r themes/PKB-theme/exampleSite/* .
   

2. Update Configuration Edit config.toml:

   baseURL = "https://your-username.github.io/your-site/"
   title = "Your Site Title"
   theme = "PKB-theme"
   

3. Customize Content

   • Modify content in content/ directory
   • Update images in static/ directory
   • Adjust layouts in layouts/ if needed

Directory Structure

The exampleSite provides a complete structure:

exampleSite/
├── config.toml      # Site configuration
├── content/         # Your content
│   ├── docs/        # Documentation pages
│   └── posts/       # Blog posts
├── static/          # Static assets
└── layouts/         # Custom layouts (optional)

Configuration Reference

Key settings in config.toml: