Astro Framework for Building Fast Content-Focused Websites
Dec 4, 2025
web-frameworkstatic-siteperformancejavascript
Astro is a modern web framework designed for building fast, content-focused websites. It ships zero JavaScript by default, resulting in blazing-fast page loads.
Key Points
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Zero JS by default: Astro renders everything to static HTML at build time. JavaScript is only sent to the browser when explicitly needed for interactivity.
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Islands Architecture: Interactive components (called “islands”) hydrate independently. A React button can load without blocking the rest of the page.
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Bring your own framework: Use React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, or vanilla JS—even mix them in the same project. Astro is UI-agnostic.
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Content Collections: First-class support for Markdown and MDX with type-safe frontmatter schemas. Perfect for blogs, docs, and marketing sites.
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File-based routing: Drop a
.astroor.mdfile insrc/pages/and it becomes a route. Simple and predictable. -
Built-in optimizations: Image optimization, CSS scoping, automatic sitemap generation, and RSS feeds out of the box.
When to Use Astro
Astro excels at:
- Blogs and documentation sites
- Marketing and landing pages
- Portfolios and personal sites
- Any content-heavy site where performance matters
It’s less suited for highly interactive apps (dashboards, real-time tools) where you’d be better served by a SPA framework.
The Philosophy
Astro’s core insight: most websites are content, not applications. By defaulting to zero client-side JavaScript and only hydrating what needs interactivity, you get dramatically better performance without sacrificing developer experience.
This site (aifeed) is built with Astro.