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Hugo is a static site generator written in Go. It is designed for speed and flexibility, allowing users to build anything from blogs to business websites. Hugo supports various markup languages for content creation including Markdown, AsciiDoc, and reStructuredText. The language comes with built-in templates that are customizable according to the user's needs. Additionally, it provides support for data-driven content creation using JSON or CSV formats which can be used in combination with its powerful templating system. One of the key features of Hugo is its live reload feature during development which allows changes made by developers to be reflected instantly on their local server without manual refreshing. Hugo also has a robust theming system and includes many pre-built themes that users can choose from or customize as needed. Its simplicity combined with power makes it an ideal choice for both beginners who want an easy way into web development as well as experienced developers looking for efficient ways to build static sites.

Ask the right questions secure the right Hugo talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General Hugo app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in Hugo application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you create a new site in Hugo?

To create a new site in Hugo, you would use the 'hugo new site' command in the terminal followed by the name of the site.

What are the basic commands to run a Hugo server?

The basic command to run a Hugo server is 'hugo server'. You can also use 'hugo server -D' to include drafts.

How do you create a new post in Hugo?

To create a new post in Hugo, you would use the 'hugo new' command followed by the path and name of the post.

Describe the difference between a Section and a List page in Hugo.

In Hugo, a Section page represents a single section of content, while a List page represents a list of content from a single section.

What is the purpose of archetypes in Hugo?

Archetypes in Hugo are used to define the default content for new posts. They help to maintain consistency across posts.

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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a strong understanding of Hugo?

Can the candidate solve problems effectively?

Is the candidate able to communicate clearly and effectively?

Does the candidate show a willingness to learn and adapt?

Next 20 minutes

Specific Hugo development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you add a theme to a Hugo website?

To add a theme to a Hugo website, you would first download or clone the theme into the 'themes' directory of your site. Then, you can specify the theme in the site's configuration file.

What are shortcodes in Hugo and how are they used?

Shortcodes in Hugo are simple snippets inside your content files calling built-in or custom templates. They are used to add functionality or embed items that are often complex HTML or that require JavaScript.

Describe the difference between .Render and .Partial in Hugo.

.Render in Hugo is used to render a specific layout file, while .Partial is used to render a partial template that can be reused across different layouts.

How would you handle pagination in Hugo?

Pagination in Hugo is handled by the .Paginator function. You can customize the number of items per page in the configuration file.

What is Hugo Pipes and what is its purpose?

Hugo Pipes is a built-in asset processing feature in Hugo. It allows you to process your CSS, JS and images, and supports operations like minification, fingerprinting, and bundling.

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At this point, a skilled Hugo engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in Hugo programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with Hugo.

What does this simple Hugo shortcode do?
{{< youtube w7Ft2ymGmfc >}}
This shortcode embeds a YouTube video into a Hugo page. The string 'w7Ft2ymGmfc' is the unique identifier for the video on YouTube.
What does this Hugo code snippet do?
{{ range .Pages }}
{{ .Title }}
{{ end }}
This code snippet lists the titles of all the pages in the current list. The 'range' function iterates over all the pages, and '.Title' accesses the title of each page.
What does this Hugo code snippet do?
{{ range .Data.Pages }}
{{ .Render "summary" }}
{{ end }}
This code snippet renders a summary view of all the pages in the current list. The 'range' function iterates over all the pages, and '.Render "summary"' renders a summary view of each page.
What does this Hugo code snippet do?
{{ range .Site.RegularPages }}
{{ .Permalink }}
{{ end }}
This code snippet lists the permalinks of all the regular pages on the site. The 'range' function iterates over all the regular pages, and '.Permalink' accesses the permalink of each page.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for Hugo Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle Hugo application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

Describe the difference between front matter formats in Hugo.

Hugo supports three front matter formats: YAML, TOML, and JSON. The difference between them lies in their syntax and data types support. YAML is often used for its readability, TOML for its explicitness, and JSON for its compatibility with JavaScript.

How would you implement a multilingual site in Hugo?

To implement a multilingual site in Hugo, you would define the languages in the configuration file, create content files for each language, and use the .Site.Language.Lang variable to display the correct language content.

What are the steps to deploy a Hugo website on GitHub Pages?

To deploy a Hugo website on GitHub Pages, you would need to create a repository on GitHub, push your Hugo source files to the repository, create a .gitignore file to ignore public or resources directories, and use a deployment script to build and deploy your site.

Hugo application related

Product Perfect's Hugo development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your Hugo engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in Hugo projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

Hugo Consultive assessments

Hugo Application Conversion Assessment Hugo Application Integration Assessment Hugo Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom Hugo development projects

Custom Hugo App Conversion Hugo Custom App Development Process App UI Design for Hugo Facelifts

Hiring guide for Hugo Engineers

Hugo Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the Hugo engineer at this point.

Hugo Consultive assessments

Custom Hugo development projects