How to Optimize JAMstack Workflow with Jekyll GitHub and Liquid

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When you start building with the JAMstack architecture, combining Jekyll, GitHub, and Liquid offers both simplicity and power. However, once your site grows, manual updates, slow build times, and scattered configuration can make your workflow inefficient. This guide explores how to optimize your JAMstack workflow with Jekyll, GitHub, and Liquid to make it faster, cleaner, and easier to maintain over time.

Key Areas to Optimize in a JAMstack Workflow

Before jumping into technical adjustments, it’s essential to understand where bottlenecks occur. In most Jekyll-based JAMstack projects, optimization can be grouped into four major areas:

  • Build performance – how fast Jekyll processes and generates static files.
  • Content organization – how efficiently posts, pages, and data are structured.
  • Automation – minimizing repetitive manual tasks using GitHub Actions or scripts.
  • Template reusability – maximizing Liquid’s dynamic features to avoid redundant code.

1. Improving Build Performance

As your site grows, build speed becomes a real issue. Each time you commit changes, Jekyll rebuilds the entire site, which can take several minutes for large blogs or documentation hubs.

Use Incremental Builds

Jekyll supports incremental builds to rebuild only files that have changed. You can activate it in your command line:

bundle exec jekyll build --incremental

This option significantly reduces build time during local testing and development cycles.

Exclude Unnecessary Files

Another simple optimization is to reduce the number of processed files. Add unwanted folders or files to your _config.yml:

exclude:
  - node_modules
  - drafts
  - temp

This ensures Jekyll doesn’t waste time regenerating files you don’t need on production builds.

2. Structuring Content with Data and Collections

Static sites often become hard to manage as they grow. Instead of keeping everything inside the _posts directory, you can use collections and data files to separate content types.

Use Collections for Reusable Content

If your site includes sections like tutorials, projects, or case studies, group them under collections. Define them in _config.yml:

collections:
  tutorials:
    output: true
  projects:
    output: true

Each collection can then have its own layout, structure, and Liquid loops. This improves scalability and organization.

Store Metadata in Data Files

Instead of embedding every detail inside markdown front matter, move repetitive data into _data files using YAML or JSON format. For example:

_data/team.yml

- name: Sarah Kim
  role: Lead Developer
  github: sarahkim
- name: Leo Torres
  role: Designer
  github: leotorres

Then, display this dynamically using Liquid:

{% for member in site.data.team %}
  <p>{{ member.name }} - {{ member.role }}</p>
{% endfor %}

3. Automating Tasks with GitHub Actions

One of the biggest advantages of using GitHub with JAMstack is automation. You can use GitHub Actions to deploy, test, or optimize your Jekyll site every time you push a change.

Automated Deployment

Here’s a minimal example of an automated deployment workflow for Jekyll:

name: Build and Deploy
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
jobs:
  build-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: 3.1
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: bundle install
      - name: Build site
        run: bundle exec jekyll build
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          publish_dir: ./_site

With this in place, you no longer need to manually build and push files. Each time you update your content, your static site will automatically rebuild and redeploy.

4. Leveraging Liquid for Advanced Templates

Liquid templates make Jekyll powerful because they let you dynamically render data while keeping your site static. However, many users only use Liquid for basic loops or includes. You can go much further.

Reusable Snippets with Include and Render

When you notice code repeating across pages, move it into an include file under _includes. For instance, you can create author.html for your blog author section and reuse it everywhere:

<!-- _includes/author.html -->
<p>Written by <strong>{{ include.name }}</strong>, {{ include.role }}</p>

Then call it like this:

{% include author.html name="Sarah Kim" role="Lead Developer" %}

Use Filters for Data Transformation

Liquid filters allow you to modify values dynamically. Some powerful filters include date_to_string, downcase, or replace. You can even chain multiple filters together:

{{ "Jekyll Workflow Optimization" | downcase | replace: " ", "-" }}

This returns: jekyll-workflow-optimization — useful for generating custom slugs or filenames.

Best Practices for Long-Term JAMstack Maintenance

Optimization isn’t just about faster builds — it’s also about sustainability. Here are a few long-term strategies to keep your Jekyll + GitHub workflow healthy and easy to maintain.

Keep Dependencies Up to Date

Outdated Ruby gems can break your build or cause performance issues. Use the bundle outdated command regularly to identify and update dependencies safely.

Use Version Control Strategically

Structure your branches clearly — for example, use main for production, staging for tests, and dev for experiments. This minimizes downtime and keeps your production builds stable.

Track Site Health with GitHub Insights

GitHub provides a built-in “Insights” section where you can monitor repository activity and contributors. For larger sites, it’s a great way to ensure collaboration stays smooth and organized.

Sample Workflow Comparison Table

The table below illustrates how a typical manual Jekyll workflow compares to an optimized one using GitHub and Liquid enhancements.

Workflow Step Manual Process Optimized Process
Content Update Edit Markdown and upload manually Edit Markdown and auto-deploy via GitHub Action
Build Process Run Jekyll build locally each time Incremental build with caching on CI
Template Management Duplicate HTML across files Reusable includes and Liquid filters

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your JAMstack workflow with Jekyll, GitHub, and Liquid is not just about speed — it’s about creating a maintainable and scalable foundation for your digital presence. Once your automation, structure, and templates are in sync, updates become effortless, collaboration becomes smoother, and your site remains lightning-fast. Whether you’re managing a small documentation site or a growing content platform, these practices ensure your Jekyll-based JAMstack remains efficient, clean, and future-proof.

What to Do Next

Start by reviewing your current build configuration. Identify one repetitive task and automate it using GitHub Actions. From there, gradually adopt collections and Liquid includes to streamline your content. Over time, you’ll notice your workflow becoming not only faster but also far more enjoyable to maintain.