Hands-free deployment of static websites

Static websites are experiencing a resurgence, shifting from manually managed HTML files to using static site generators like Jekyll and Middleman, which allow content to be generated from text files tracked in version control. The rise of static site generators coincided with the browser's evolution into a robust platform for scripting and rendering, making them ideal for websites without complex application requirements. Semaphore, a continuous integration and deployment service, utilizes Middleman to automatically publish content for their blog and documentation by deploying the generated site to Amazon S3, using the S3Sync plugin and custom configuration files for credentials. This setup allows for seamless updates through Git, either locally or via GitHub's interface, with Semaphore ensuring continuous deployment after each push. The platform also introduced a "Generic" deployment strategy, enhancing flexibility by allowing any deployment steps post-build, with or without an SSH key.