Astro Framework for Building Fast Content-Focused Websites

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

• 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.

• Islands Architecture: Interactive components (called “islands”) hydrate independently. A React button can load without blocking the rest of the page.

• Bring your own framework: Use React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, or vanilla JS—even mix them in the same project. Astro is UI-agnostic.

• Content Collections: First-class support for Markdown and MDX with type-safe frontmatter schemas. Perfect for blogs, docs, and marketing sites.

• File-based routing: Drop a .astro or .md file in src/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.