Glossary

Quick reference for terms used in Bengal documentation. Terms are listed alphabetically.

A

Asset

A static file (CSS, JS, image, font) that Bengal processes, optimizes, and optionally fingerprints. Assets live inassets/at the project root or alongside content in page bundles.

Asset Fingerprinting

Adding a content-based hash to filenames (e.g.,style.a1b2c3.css) for cache-busting. When file content changes, the hash changes, forcing browsers to fetch the new version. Enabled by default.

Autodoc

Bengal's automatic documentation generator. Extracts docstrings and signatures from Python source code or CLI applications to generate API reference pages.

B

Base Template

The root template (base.html) that defines the HTML structure inherited by all other templates. Contains{% block %}placeholders that child templates override.

Build Cache

Stored state from previous builds that enables incremental rebuilding. Located in.bengal/cache/by default.

Build Profile

A configuration preset (writer,theme-dev,dev) that adjusts output verbosity, validation strictness, and enabled features. Set via--profileflag orbengal project profile.

Bundle (Page Bundle)

A folder containing a page's Markdown file alongside its dedicated assets (images, data files). Keeps related files together and enables relative asset references.

C

Cascade

Front matter values that flow down from section_index.mdfiles to child pages. Used for section-wide defaults likeauthor,type, ordraftstatus.

Content Directory

The folder containing your Markdown source files. Defaults tocontent/but configurable via[build] content_dir.

Content Type

The template category used to render a page (e.g.,post,doc,page). Set viatype:in front matter. Maps to templates intemplates/<type>/.

D

Directive

A MyST Markdown extension that adds special functionality. Written as:::{directive-name}blocks. Examples:note,warning,tab-set,dropdown.

Draft

A page withdraft: truein front matter. Excluded from production builds by default. Drafts are visible in development mode (bengal serve).

F

Fast Mode

Build configuration that enables parallel processing and reduces output verbosity. Enable viabengal build --fastorfast_mode = truein config.

Front Matter

YAML or TOML metadata at the top of a Markdown file, delimited by---. Controls page properties like title, date, tags, layout, and custom fields.

Free-Threaded Python

Python 3.14+ builds with the GIL disabled (PYTHON_GIL=0). Enables true parallel execution for 1.5-2x faster builds.

G

GIL (Global Interpreter Lock)

Python's mechanism that allows only one thread to execute at a time. Disabling it (PYTHON_GIL=0) in Python 3.14+ enables true parallelism.

H

Health Check

Automated validation that detects issues like broken links, missing images, invalid front matter, or orphaned pages. Run viabengal validateorbengal health linkcheck.

I

Incremental Build

Building only files that changed since the last build, rather than regenerating the entire site. Enabled by default. Typically 50-100x faster than full builds.

Index File

Special Markdown files that define sections or pages:

• _index.mdcreates a section (a folder that contains child pages)
• index.mdcreates a leaf page with its own URL folder

J

Jinja2

The Python templating engine used by Bengal. Provides template inheritance, conditionals, loops, filters, and macros. Industry standard, also used by Flask and Ansible.

L

Layout

A Jinja2 template that defines HTML structure for a specific content type. Lives intemplates/(project) or in the active theme.

Live Reload

Automatic browser refresh when source files change during development. Enabled by default withbengal serve.

M

Menu

Navigation structure defined inbengal.tomlvia[[menu.main]]entries. Accessible in templates viasite.menus.main. Supports nested hierarchies and weights.

MyST Markdown

Markedly Structured Text—an extended Markdown syntax that adds directives, roles, and cross-references. Used by Bengal for admonitions, tabs, and other rich content.

O

Output Directory

The folder where Bengal writes generated HTML, CSS, and assets. Defaults topublic/but configurable via[build] output_dir.

Output Format

Alternative renderings of content beyond HTML. Bengal supports JSON, RSS, sitemap, and LLM-optimized text formats.

P

Page

A single piece of content, typically a Markdown file. Rendered to HTML using templates. Has properties like title, URL, date, tags, and content.

Partial

A reusable template fragment (e.g.,header.html,footer.html,sidebar.html). Included in other templates via{% include "partials/name.html" %}.

Post-Processing

Operations performed after rendering, such as HTML minification, sitemap generation, and RSS feed creation.

S

Section

A content folder with an_index.mdfile. Represents a group of related pages (e.g.,content/blog/,content/docs/). Has its own landing page and can contain child pages or nested sections.

Shortcode

A reusable content component invoked within Markdown. Bengal uses MyST directive syntax (:::{shortcode}) rather than Hugo-style{{< shortcode >}}.

Site

The top-level container representing your entire Bengal project. Provides access to all pages, sections, menus, and configuration in templates via thesitevariable.

T

Taxonomy

A classification system for organizing content. Common taxonomies include tags, categories, and authors. Each taxonomy term gets its own listing page.

Template

A Jinja2 file that defines how content is rendered to HTML. Templates use inheritance (extending base templates) and composition (including partials).

Template Engine

Bengal's Jinja2-based system for rendering templates. Provides built-in filters, functions, and thesite/page/sectioncontext variables.

Theme

A package of templates, assets, and styles that defines site appearance. Themes can be:

• Bundled: Included with Bengal (e.g.,default)
• Installed: Via pip/uv (e.g.,bengal-theme-starter)
• Project: Local in yourthemes/directory

W

Weight

A numeric value controlling sort order in menus and page listings. Lower weight appears first. Set viaweight:in front matter or menu config.