Start here
Basics
These pages are for people who have never built a website. Each one takes ten to twenty minutes and ends with something you can check: Docker answers, a page opens, a push goes through.
You do not need to learn programming or Linux. You need a handful of tools and a clear picture of what happens to your text on the way to the internet. That is all these pages give you.
In plain words
A HERON site is a folder on your computer. Inside are text files, one per page, a few photos and one settings file. HERON reads the folder and turns it into a finished website: ready pages that any hosting can serve.
To work with that folder you need three things:
- Docker runs HERON without installing it. One program, the same on every computer.
- A text editor opens the files so you can change the words.
- Git and GitHub store your content with the history of every change, and GitHub can build a fresh image of the site on every push. Optional at the start.
Everything else, from the page layout to the sitemap for search engines, HERON does for you.
The path, in order
- 1
Install Docker Start here
The only program HERON needs. Ten minutes on macOS, Windows or Linux. - 2
- 3
Learn Markdown
The simple way pages are written: a hash for a heading, a dash for a list. - 4
- 5
Understand the build
What happens between your file and the page in the browser, and how to read an error. - 6
Set up git and GitHub
Store your content with the history of every change; a fresh image is built on every push. - 7
How long it takes
| Step | Time | What you have after it |
|---|---|---|
| Docker | 10–20 min | docker run --rm hello-world prints a greeting |
| Editor | 5 min | The site folder open on the left side of the editor |
| Markdown | 10 min | You can write a heading, a list and a link |
| First site | 10 min | Your site opens at localhost:8000 |
| Git and GitHub | 20 min | The site folder is on GitHub |
| Domain | 15 min, then waiting up to a few hours | yourname.com opens your site |
What you do not need
Programming
A server, at the start
Linux knowledge
Money
When something goes wrong
Every beginner hits the same five or six problems: Docker is not running, a port is busy, a file is in the wrong folder. They are collected with fixes on one page: If something goes wrong. The build itself also tells you the file, the line and what to do.
Questions
Which computer do I need?
Any computer from the last five or six years with macOS, Windows 10 or 11, or Linux, and at least 8 GB of memory. Docker uses part of it while it runs.
Can I skip Docker?
Yes, if you have Python 3.12 or newer: HERON installs as a program with pip. Docker is still the simplest way, because it works the same everywhere. Both ways are on Get started.
Do I need git right away?
No. You can build and look at the site without git. Git becomes useful when you want to keep the history of your content and get a fresh image on every push.
Can an AI assistant do all of this for me?
An AI agent can fill and translate pages for you, but you still install Docker and look at the result yourself. See HERON for AI agents.