No More Frameworks: Just pure HTML

April 18, 2026

I know, I know.. I keep changing my blog's platform. First it was WordPress, then a static site generator called Jekyll. And now? Now there's no CMS, no generator, and no framework. It's just pure, hand-coded HTML.

Why?

Well the original reasons still stand when I decided to move to Jekyll, but my perspective has evolved since moving away from site builders ―in this case, CMS and generator. There are two main drivers behind this change:

1. Mastering the Basics

I want to get good at the foundations of web development which is HTML, CSS, and Javascript. After relying on WordPress and Jekyll, and now even with AI vibe coding, I realized I had started to forget the core stuctures of a web page - not to mention the complexities of modern CSS.

So by manually typing and inserting HTML tags into my plain text, I hope it builds my muscle memory. I want to be able to understand and craft a site from scrath without immediately leaning on a library or template or auto completion or output code from AI.

2. Experiencing the Pain Points

Now typing and inserting HTML tags manually is a dauting task, especially writing for a simple blog like this one. For every new post, you have to repeatedly insert and follow the same HTML structure like your other posts to maintain consistentcy. Then you have to update your index.html file (your homepage and blog page) to include the new post title in your "latest post" section or "all posts/archive" section.

Even though it's cumbersome, I enjoy it. I don't know why, but I enjoy it. Maybe it's the attention to detail or maybe it's doing things with your own hand or maybe it's the simplicity.

And now that I've reached my sixth post, I'm truly feeling the "pain points" of blogging with pure HTML. I understand why certain frameworks and tools were invented. Of cousre, generally, they are meant to make things easy for us, but now I understand what exactly they are solving.

Will I ditch site builders or AI?

No. Still love and use WordPress. Still use AI to speed things up. Still appreatiate the toolings and libraries we have. As for this blog, I am approching it differently: slowly, with intention, making sure every single element has a purpose.