Static site generators have revolutionized how we build and deploy websites. Among the many options available, Zola stands out as a particularly compelling choice for developers who value performance, simplicity, and modern tooling.

Why Choose Zola?

Zola is a static site generator written in Rust that compiles to a single binary with no dependencies. This means:

  • Zero Dependencies: No need to install Node.js, Ruby, or Python
  • Blazing Fast: Built with Rust for maximum performance
  • Built-in Features: Sass compilation, syntax highlighting, and search indexing
  • Simple Deployment: Single binary makes deployment trivial

Key Features

1. Performance First

Zola generates sites incredibly fast. Even large sites with hundreds of pages compile in seconds, not minutes.

# Build your entire site
zola build

# Serve with live reload during development
zola serve

2. Modern Templating

Zola uses the Tera templating engine, which provides powerful features like:

  • Template inheritance
  • Macros and filters
  • Conditional logic
  • Loop constructs
{%- raw -%}
{% extends "base.html" %}

{% block content %}
<article class="post">
    <h1>{{ page.title }}</h1>
    <div class="content">
        {{ page.content | safe }}
    </div>
</article>
{% endblock content %}
{%- endraw -%}

3. Built-in Sass Support

No need for external build tools - Zola compiles Sass/SCSS out of the box:

// sass/main.scss
$primary-color: #2563eb;

.header {
    background-color: $primary-color;
    
    .nav {
        display: flex;
        gap: 1rem;
    }
}

4. Taxonomies and Organization

Organize your content with built-in support for categories and tags:

# config.toml
taxonomies = [
    {name = "categories", feed = true},
    {name = "tags", feed = true},
]

Getting Started

Installation

The easiest way to install Zola is through package managers:

# Windows (winget)
winget install getzola.zola

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install zola

# Linux (most distributions)
# Download from GitHub releases

Creating Your First Site

# Initialize a new site
zola init my-blog

# Navigate to the directory
cd my-blog

# Start the development server
zola serve

Project Structure

A typical Zola site has this structure:

my-blog/
├── config.toml          # Site configuration
├── content/             # Markdown content
│   ├── _index.md       # Homepage content
│   └── blog/           # Blog posts
├── templates/          # HTML templates
├── static/            # Static assets
├── sass/              # Sass/SCSS files
└── themes/            # Themes (optional)

Advanced Features

Search Functionality

Enable search with a simple configuration:

# config.toml
build_search_index = true

Then implement search in JavaScript:

// Load search index
fetch('/search_index.en.json')
    .then(response => response.json())
    .then(searchIndex => {
        // Implement search logic
        const results = searchIndex.filter(item => 
            item.title.toLowerCase().includes(query.toLowerCase())
        );
    });

RSS Feeds

Generate RSS feeds automatically:

# config.toml
generate_feed = true
feed_filename = "rss.xml"

Syntax Highlighting

Built-in syntax highlighting for code blocks:

# config.toml
[markdown]
highlight_code = true
highlight_theme = "nord"

Deployment Options

Zola sites can be deployed anywhere static files are supported:

GitHub Pages

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy to GitHub Pages

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
    - name: Setup Zola
      uses: taiki-e/install-action@zola
    - name: Build site
      run: zola build
    - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
      uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
      with:
        github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
        publish_dir: ./public

Netlify

Simply connect your Git repository and set:

  • Build command: zola build
  • Publish directory: public

Vercel

Create a vercel.json file:

{
  "builds": [
    {
      "src": "config.toml",
      "use": "@shuding/vercel-zola"
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices

1. Organize Content Logically

Use sections and taxonomies to organize content:

content/
├── blog/
│   ├── _index.md
│   ├── web-development/
│   └── rust-programming/
├── projects/
└── about.md

2. Optimize Images

Use modern image formats and optimize for web:

![Optimized image](image.webp "Alt text")

3. Leverage Shortcodes

Create reusable components:

<!-- templates/shortcodes/note.html -->
<div class="note note--{{ type | default(value="info") }}">
    {{ body | markdown | safe }}
</div>

<!-- In your content -->
<!-- Example shortcode usage would go here -->

Conclusion

Zola offers an excellent balance of simplicity and power for static site generation. Its Rust foundation provides exceptional performance, while its feature set covers everything needed for modern websites.

Whether you’re building a personal blog, documentation site, or company website, Zola’s combination of speed, simplicity, and built-in features makes it an excellent choice for your next project.

The single-binary distribution and zero dependencies make it particularly appealing for developers who want to focus on content and design rather than build tool configuration.

Have you tried Zola for your projects? Share your experiences in the comments below!