Choosing a Setup for a Personal Tech Blog

Choosing a Setup for a Personal Tech Blog

I run this site on GitHub Pages with the Python static site generator mkdocs. After researching options, here is how I think about different setups.

Pattern 1 – First-time bloggers

If you just want to share knowledge, start with a publishing platform. Sign up and you are ready—no domain, hosting, or infrastructure knowledge required, and you only pay when you post paid content. Popular choices:

These sites have large audiences, which helps motivation; likes and comments give feedback, and you get visibility without worrying about SEO. Many teams reference Qiita/Zenn articles in day-to-day work. For people lacking infra/SEO know-how, or those unsure about consistency, hosted services are the best way to start.

Pattern 2 – Monetization or learning via a custom environment

Some services (Zenn, note, Medium) support paid articles, but if you want ad revenue (affiliate links, Google Ads) you generally need your own site. Running one is also great practice. Here are three approaches:

1. GitHub Pages + static site generator

This site uses GitHub Pages plus mkdocs. GitHub Pages hosts static content for free (public repos only). You can configure a custom domain, hook up Google Analytics, and even run ads. Static site generators provide polished themes and Markdown-based authoring so you do not have to handcraft HTML/CSS/JS—though you still can if that is your thing. Cost is just the domain.

2. Rental server + WordPress

Many rental servers offer one-click WordPress installs. If you already know WordPress—or want access to its plugin ecosystem—this is attractive. The trade-off is recurring hosting fees, so I recommend it when you are serious about blogging, not when you are merely testing the waters.

3. Fully custom implementation

You can build everything yourself, but launching takes time. Static hosting providers like GitHub Pages or Netlify are cheap for static sites. If you want a database-backed app, platforms like Heroku exist, yet free tiers are limited; expect to pay ¥1,000–1,500 per month for meaningful capacity. I would not suggest this route for beginners, but if your goal is to learn by building and operating a service end-to-end, it is a valuable experience.

Summary

Whatever you choose, consistency matters. I am still working on that myself, but plan to keep writing at a relaxed pace.

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