Jekyll Environment Variables and Multiple Config Files

Jekyll Environment Variables and Multiple Config Files

When developing locally, you often need different settings than production (URL, analytics, Disqus, etc.).

Typical Local vs Production Difference

# local
url: http://localhost:4000
google_analytics:
disqus_user:

# production
url: http://sandeepbhardwaj.github.io
google_analytics: UA-XXXXXX-X
disqus_user: your-disqus-id

Option 1: Separate Config File

Create _config-dev.yml and run:

jekyll serve --watch --config _config-dev.yml

Option 2: Override the Base Config

Keep base config and override only changed values:

jekyll serve --watch --config _config.yml,_config-dev.yml

Example _config-dev.yml:

url: http://localhost:4000
google_analytics:
disqus_user:

Recommendation

Use option 2 for cleaner maintenance. Keep shared defaults in _config.yml and environment-specific overrides in _config-dev.yml.

Key Takeaways

• Separate defaults from environment overrides.
• Keep local and production behavior deterministic.
• Use minimal override files to reduce maintenance overhead.