Plain HTML. Superpowers included.

Build simple websites in familiar HTML and CSS. One tool covers local development, server setup, deployment and automatic HTTPS.

One site. From HTML to HTTPS.

site/index.html
<main>
  <h1>Hello, web.</h1>
  <p>A small site, simply made.</p>
  {render /navigation}
  <footer>
    <small>Made with Itsy.</small>
  </footer>
</main>
http://localhost:3000

Hello, web.

A small site, simply made.

Made with Itsy.

Write the page. Ordinary HTML, with shared pieces where you need them.

See it reload
site/index.html
$ itsy devlocalhost:3000
<main>
  <h1>Hello, again.</h1>
  <p>A small site, simply made.</p>
  {render /navigation}
  <footer>
    <small>Made with Itsy.</small>
  </footer>
</main>

Saved · browser reloaded

http://localhost:3000

Hello, again.

A small site, simply made.

Made with Itsy.

Save a file. See the change. Install Itsy for Apple Silicon Mac or x86-64 Linux, then itsy new my-site.

Take it live
Your terminal
# prepare your Ubuntu host over SSH
$ itsy setup
# commit the page you just edited
$ git add site/index.html
$ git commit -m "Update greeting"
$ itsy deploy

Published · automatic HTTPS

https://example.com

Hello, again.

A small site, simply made.

Made with Itsy.

Your site. Your server. HTTPS included. Bring an Ubuntu server, SSH access and a domain. Point DNS to your server and open ports 80 and 443 for automatic certificates and renewal.

Setup and deployment

Skip the build pipeline.
Keep the HTML.

You wanted to make a website, not maintain a toolchain. Write ordinary HTML and CSS, then add the shared pieces a small site needs.

site/main.layout.html
<header>{render /navigation}</header>
<main>{slot}</main>
<footer>Made by our studio.</footer>

A shared header shouldn’t require a framework.

Put shared markup in a layout or partial and change it once. Each page fills the layout’s {slot}. The server puts it together when someone visits; there is no static site to generate first.

Pages, layouts and data
Files become URLs
Create site/about.html. Link to /about. Clean URLs follow your files.
Bring in your data
Use JSON data, variables, loops and conditions in the HTML you already understand.
Keep your CSS
Style directly, with optional Prewind utilities and icons. No bundler or frontend build step.

Familiar files. Ready for your coding agent.

AGENTS.md
# Coding agent instructions

This is an Itsy project.
Edit the HTML and CSS in `site/`.
site/index.html
<h1>Hello, web.</h1>
<p>A small website, in plain HTML.</p>
{render /navigation}

Open the site folder in your editor or coding agent. Generated projects include AGENTS.md and portable skills for site authoring, design, and common additions. Give the agent a concrete task, then review the files and preview the result.

The files stay ordinary HTML, CSS and JSON. The instructions stay in Git, outside the public website. No plugin or account is needed to read them.

Work with your coding agent

The website still needs to run somewhere.

Writing the HTML is only part of the job. Itsy includes the local tools, Itsy Server and the way to deploy. One executable, with no Go, Node or Python runtime or database to install by hand.

Set up and deploy
Preview as you work
itsy dev reloads the browser when you save. Use LAN mode to check the site on your phone.
Set up an Ubuntu host
Bring a supported Ubuntu LTS server, SSH access and a domain. itsy setup installs Itsy Server.
Deploy a Git branch
Publish committed files over SSH. Branches can have different destinations, and one Itsy Server can host several sites.
Keep HTTPS running
With DNS pointing to your server and ports 80 and 443 open, Itsy Server requests and renews Let’s Encrypt certificates. Optional www redirects are included.
Back up and recover
Download a site backup or return to an earlier code release with the same tool. Backups and recovery

Add what the site needs.

Start with HTML. Keep the rest optional.

Keep the HTML.
Lose the extra machinery.

Build a small bookshop site with two pages, a shared layout, and your own CSS.

Build your first site

0.22.0 is available to try. Installation notes