Your Website, Written in Markdown.
Ink is an open-source CMS that turns plain Markdown files into fast, beautiful websites. No database. No lock-in. Just files you own, powered by Eleventy v3.
Everything You Need. Nothing You Don't.
Markdown-Native
Content lives in plain .md files with YAML frontmatter. Edit with any text editor, version with Git, sync with Obsidian.
Lightning Builds
Eleventy v3 compiles your entire site to static HTML in milliseconds. No client-side JavaScript required.
12 Components
Install pre-built components with one command — contact forms, pricing tables, image galleries, and more.
Design Tokens
One CSS file controls your entire brand. Change colors, typography, and spacing from a single source of truth.
8 Content Types
Blog, docs, team, services, portfolio, FAQ, features, and service areas — all built in and ready to use.
Deploy Anywhere
Static HTML output means any CDN works. Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages — take your pick.
Ship in Three Steps
Scaffold
Run npx ink init to generate a complete project with content types, design tokens, layouts, and a dev server — all configured and ready to go.
Write
Add content in Markdown. Each file is a page. Frontmatter handles metadata. Directories map to URLs. Open the content folder in Obsidian for a rich editing experience.
Deploy
Run npm run build to generate static HTML, then push to any hosting provider. No servers to manage, no databases to maintain, no vendor lock-in.
See How Simple It Is
---
title: "Redesigning Our Dashboard"
slug: "redesigning-dashboard"
date: 2026-02-24
author: "Jane Chen"
excerpt: "How we rebuilt the UI from scratch."
featured_image: "/assets/img/dashboard.jpg"
published: true
---
## The Problem
Our old dashboard loaded in **4.2 seconds**.
Users were leaving before it rendered.
## The Solution
We moved to a component-based architecture
with lazy loading and edge caching.
- Reduced bundle size by 60%
- Time to interactive under 800ms
- User retention up 35%/* tokens.css — your entire brand in one file */
:root {
/* Colors */
--color-primary: #2563eb;
--color-secondary: #7c3aed;
--color-accent: #06b6d4;
/* Typography */
--font-body: 'Inter', system-ui, sans-serif;
--font-heading: 'Cal Sans', var(--font-body);
--step-0: clamp(1rem, 0.5vw + 0.9rem, 1.125rem);
/* Spacing */
--space-sm: clamp(0.75rem, 1vw, 1rem);
--space-md: clamp(1.5rem, 3vw, 2rem);
--space-lg: clamp(2rem, 5vw, 4rem);
/* Shadows */
--shadow-sm: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.05);
--shadow-md: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,.1);
}# Scaffold a new project
$ npx ink init my-site
# Add a content type
$ npx ink generate blog
# Install a component
$ npx ink add pricing-table
# List available components
$ npx ink list components
# Start the dev server
$ npx ink serve
# Build for production
$ npx ink buildFrequently Asked Questions
What is Ink?
Ink is an open-source, Markdown-native CMS built on Eleventy v3. It gives you a complete website with content types, design tokens, and CLI tools — all powered by plain Markdown files.
Do I need coding experience?
Basic familiarity with the command line and Markdown is helpful, but you don't need to be a developer. Ink handles the build system, layouts, and components for you.
How is Ink different from WordPress or other CMS platforms?
Ink has no database, no admin panel, and no server runtime. Your content lives in Markdown files, your site compiles to static HTML, and you can host it anywhere for free.
Can I use Obsidian to write content?
Yes. Your Ink content directory is a valid Obsidian vault. Open it in Obsidian for a rich writing experience with live preview, backlinks, and graph view.
Where can I deploy an Ink site?
Anywhere that serves static files — Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, or your own server. The output is plain HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Is Ink free?
Yes, Ink is fully open source under the MIT License. Free to use, modify, and distribute.