HugoStarter

etch — Hugo Starter Template

By LukasJoswiak

Etch is a writing-focused Hugo theme that provides a post-list homepage, standalone pages, a responsive layout, customizable code highlighting, and automatic dark mode, with no external resources or JavaScript.

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Recorded 2026-10-02View source

What stands out

A quick read of the recorded project description.

01

Homepage displays a post list and supports standalone pages

02

Responsive design optimized for mobile

03

Customizable code highlighting theme

04

Dark mode adjusts automatically based on user settings

05

No external dependencies, no JavaScript, no web fonts

06

Supports internationalization with default English translations or custom translations

Template Details

Etch is a writing-focused Hugo theme. The repository is MIT-licensed, and the demo site is https://lukasjoswiak.github.io/etch/. The theme provides a post-list homepage, support for standalone pages, and a responsive layout optimized for mobile. Code highlighting themes can be customized, and dark mode switches automatically based on the user's system settings. The theme introduces no external dependencies, JavaScript, or web fonts, and supports internationalization: you can use the default English translations directly or create your own translations. To install, place the repository in the themes folder at the site root, for example by adding it via git submodule, then generate the site with hugo server -t etch. For configuration, refer to the example configuration and configuration documentation pages in the project wiki.

HugoStarter

Is it right for your project?

Use Cases

  • Building a personal blog focused on article writing
  • Sites that need both a post-list homepage and standalone pages
  • Technical writing sites that want adjustable code highlighting themes
  • Sites that need automatic dark mode without relying on JavaScript
  • Writing projects that need multilingual translation support

Suitable For

  • Writers building sites with Hugo
  • Developers who prefer themes with no JavaScript and no external dependencies
  • Bloggers who need a responsive mobile reading experience
  • Maintainers of multilingual sites that need internationalization support

Getting started & customization

Use these recorded setup notes alongside the repository instructions for your chosen version.

  1. 1

    Download the repository or add it via git submodule to the themes folder at the site root

  2. 2

    Generate the site with this theme using hugo server -t etch

  3. 3

    Use the example configuration in the project wiki as a starting point and adjust it according to the configuration page

  4. 4

    Third-party assets such as demo images, fonts, and icons must be checked separately for their respective licenses

Read repository instructions

License & source material

Usage conditions & limitations

Free to use · keep license notice

This entry covers the free version in the public repository under the MIT license; the free scope applies to that version's code and does not mean external services or third-party assets are free.

Must comply with when using

  • You may use, modify, commercialize, and distribute this version's code for free.
  • When distributing copies or substantial portions of the code, retain the original author's copyright notice and the full MIT license notice.
  • The code is provided as is; warranties and limitations of liability are governed by the original license and applicable law.

Additional costs & items to verify

  • Demo images, fonts, icons, and other third-party assets must be checked under their respective licenses and cannot be judged solely by the code's MIT license.
  • External services such as domains, hosting, databases, payments, or AI may incur separate charges.
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Compiled by DeepSeek based on repository license and README ·2026-10-02. Results only cover the materials read; dependencies, images, fonts, and subsequent term changes are subject to their respective original texts.

Project checks & description sources

Template Information

Source platforms
Hugo Themes
Documentation and maintenance reference score
More documented · 91 / 100
Technologies
Hugo
Website type
Starter
How this score is calculated

Our heuristic uses license records (up to 30), a demo link (12), a preview (10), stars (15), recorded maintenance (15), description completeness (8), feature records (5) and classification data (5). It is not a code, security or performance test, or a Google score. A link does not establish tested functionality.

What to verify for this project

Repository update recorded
2026-05-08
Screenshot last checked
2026-10-02

A demo link is listed. Check it with your own content and viewport sizes; its presence does not confirm that forms, authentication or payments work.

The catalog identifies Hugo as the primary stack. Check the actual dependency manifest and lockfile for versions and hosting requirements. These notes use recorded metadata, not a code audit or a deployment test.

Use a selection guide →

How this description was prepared

AI-assisted description based on catalog records and repository material. Repository authors are not automatically the reviewers of this description.

Automatically checked against source and license rules; no manual editorial review.

Inspect the recorded source material

SHA-256: 4cb43a657bdad8f587cdbe35e46e15506e2c87cafa19e3ffccbacac9bb8613b5

2026-10-02T16:36:10.864Z

Source file / repository
# Etch

Etch is a simple, responsive theme for [Hugo](https://gohugo.io) with a focus on writing. A live demo is available at https://lukasjoswiak.github.io/etch/.

<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LukasJoswiak/etch/master/images/screenshot_small.png" alt="screenshot" width="545px">

## Features:

* Homepage with list of posts.
* Support for pages.
* Responsive design for optimized mobile experience.
* Syntax highlighting with customizable theme.
* Dark theme which automatically adjusts based on users' setting ([example](https://github.com/LukasJoswiak/etch/wiki/Dark-mode)).
* No external dependencies, no JavaScript, no web fonts.
* Internationalization friendly: use default English translations or create your own

## Installation

To install `etch`, download the repository into the `themes` folder in the root of your site.

```
$ git submodule add https://github.com/LukasJoswiak/etch.git themes/etch
```

Then, use the theme to generate your site.

```
$ hugo server -t etch
```

Use the [sample configuration](https://github.com/LukasJoswiak/etch/wiki/Configuration#sample-configuration) as a starting point. See the [configuration](https://github.com/LukasJoswiak/etch/wiki/Configuration) page for more info.

Read the [wiki](https://github.com/LukasJoswiak/etch/wiki) to learn about more options.
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