Local Testing Guide

Quick Setup (One-time)

If you have Ruby installed:

# Install Jekyll and Bundler
gem install bundler jekyll

# Navigate to your blog directory
cd /path/to/regancipher-blog

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Start the local server
bundle exec jekyll serve

# Open in browser: http://localhost:4000

If you DON’T have Ruby:

Windows: Download RubyInstaller from https://rubyinstaller.org/ Mac: Ruby is pre-installed, just run the commands above Linux: sudo apt-get install ruby-full (Ubuntu/Debian)

Live Reloading

Once running, Jekyll watches for changes:

  • Edit a file → Save → Auto-refreshes in browser
  • Perfect for iterating on design/content

Testing Workflow

# Terminal 1: Keep Jekyll running
bundle exec jekyll serve

# Terminal 2: Edit files
vim _posts/2025-10-31-new-review.md
# Save file → Check browser → Repeat

Troubleshooting

Port already in use?

bundle exec jekyll serve --port 4001

Changes not showing?

  • Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
  • Clear browser cache

Build errors? Check the terminal output for YAML syntax errors or missing files.