Frequently Asked Questions

Ink is an open-source, Markdown-native content management system built on Eleventy v3. It includes a CLI tool that scaffolds a complete, production-ready website from a starter template. You write content in Markdown files with YAML frontmatter, and Ink compiles everything into fast, static HTML pages. There's no database, no server runtime, and no admin panel -- just text files and a build step. The output can be deployed to any static hosting provider like Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, or Vercel.

WordPress and most traditional CMS platforms require a database, a server, and an admin panel to manage content. Ink takes a fundamentally different approach. Your content lives as plain Markdown files in a folder -- no database to maintain, no login screen, no plugins to update, and no security patches to worry about. Content is version-controlled with Git, editable in any text editor, and fully portable. The output is static HTML that loads fast and can be hosted for free on most CDN platforms.

You'll need basic familiarity with the command line and Markdown syntax, but you don't need to be an experienced developer. Ink's CLI handles the scaffolding, and most day-to-day work involves editing Markdown files and adjusting CSS variables. You don't need to understand Eleventy's internals or write any JavaScript to build and maintain a site. Check out our getting started guide to see how quick the setup process is.

Eleventy (11ty) is a popular static site generator known for its speed, simplicity, and flexibility. It takes template files and content and compiles them into plain HTML -- no client-side JavaScript framework required. Ink uses Eleventy v3 as its build engine because it's fast, has zero mandatory configuration, and supports a huge ecosystem of plugins. Ink abstracts Eleventy's configuration so you can focus on content and design rather than build tooling.

Yes! Ink's content directory is fully compatible with Obsidian. Simply open your project's content/ folder as an Obsidian vault, and you can write and organize your Markdown files using Obsidian's rich editing environment -- including live preview, backlinks, and graph view. Since Ink uses standard Markdown with YAML frontmatter, everything you write in Obsidian is exactly what Ink expects. No conversion or syncing step needed.

Run ink build (or npx eleventy) to generate your site into the _site/ directory. That folder contains plain HTML, CSS, and assets -- everything needed to serve your site. Upload it to any static hosting provider. Popular options include Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, and Vercel, all of which offer free tiers and can automatically rebuild your site when you push to a Git repository. No server configuration required.

Yes. Ink is completely free and open source under the MIT license. You can use it for personal projects, client work, or commercial sites without any cost or usage restrictions. There are no premium tiers, no feature gates, and no usage limits. The source code is available on GitHub, and contributions from the community are always welcome.

The best place to start is the documentation, which covers installation, configuration, content types, and deployment. If you run into a bug or have a feature request, open an issue on our GitHub repository. For questions and community discussion, we're working on launching a Discord server -- stay tuned for an invite link. You can also browse the blog for tutorials and updates.