What is astro?
Astro is a modern static site builder that allows you to build fast, optimized websites using your favorite tools and frameworks. It focuses on delivering a zero-JavaScript runtime by default, making it ideal for performance-focused web projects.
What are astro's main functionalities?
Static Site Generation
Astro allows you to generate static sites with ease. The configuration file specifies the site URL and output directory for the build.
```javascript
// astro.config.mjs
import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config';
export default defineConfig({
site: 'https://example.com',
build: {
outDir: 'dist',
},
});
```
Component Framework Agnostic
Astro supports multiple component frameworks like React, Vue, Svelte, and more. You can use your preferred framework within Astro components.
```jsx
// src/pages/index.astro
---
import React from 'react';
import MyComponent from '../components/MyComponent.jsx';
---
<MyComponent />
```
Markdown Support
Astro has built-in support for Markdown, making it easy to write content for your static site.
```markdown
---
title: 'My Blog Post'
date: '2023-10-01'
---
# Hello, World!
This is a blog post written in Markdown.
```
Partial Hydration
Astro's partial hydration feature allows you to load JavaScript only when necessary, improving performance by reducing the amount of JavaScript sent to the client.
```jsx
// src/components/InteractiveComponent.jsx
import { useState } from 'react';
export default function InteractiveComponent() {
const [count, setCount] = useState(0);
return (
<button onClick={() => setCount(count + 1)}>
Count: {count}
</button>
);
}
// src/pages/index.astro
---
import InteractiveComponent from '../components/InteractiveComponent.jsx';
---
<InteractiveComponent client:load />
```
Other packages similar to astro
next
Next.js is a popular React framework for building server-side rendered and static web applications. It offers a rich set of features like API routes, dynamic routing, and built-in CSS support. Compared to Astro, Next.js is more focused on server-side rendering and full-stack capabilities.
gatsby
Gatsby is a React-based framework for building static sites and apps. It emphasizes performance and scalability, offering a rich plugin ecosystem and GraphQL data layer. While Gatsby is similar to Astro in terms of static site generation, it is more tightly coupled with React and has a steeper learning curve.
eleventy
Eleventy is a simpler static site generator that focuses on flexibility and minimalism. It supports multiple templating languages and is highly configurable. Unlike Astro, Eleventy does not have built-in support for modern JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.