Getting Started with Astro: A Modern Web Framework
If you’ve been building websites lately, you’ve probably heard about Astro. It’s a modern web framework that’s taking a different approach to building fast, content-focused websites. Let me share why I think it’s worth your attention.
What Makes Astro Different?
Astro takes a fundamentally different approach compared to frameworks like Next.js or Nuxt. Instead of shipping JavaScript for everything, Astro renders your pages to static HTML by default and only hydrates the interactive parts you explicitly mark.
This concept is called Islands Architecture. Think of your page as an ocean of static HTML with islands of interactivity scattered throughout.
// Only this component will ship JavaScript
<MyReactComponent client:visible />
// This renders to pure HTML - no JS
<Header />
<Footer />Zero JavaScript by Default
One of Astro’s most compelling features is that it ships zero JavaScript by default. Every component renders to static HTML unless you tell it otherwise.
This means your pages load incredibly fast. Users get content immediately without waiting for JavaScript bundles to download and execute.
Framework Agnostic
Here’s something I love about Astro: you can use any UI framework you want. React, Vue, Svelte, Solid - even mix and match them in the same project:
- Use React for complex interactive components
- Use Svelte for lightweight animations
- Use Vue for components your team already built
The flexibility is remarkable.
When Should You Use Astro?
Astro shines for:
- Blogs and documentation sites
- Marketing and landing pages
- Portfolio websites
- Any content-heavy site where performance matters
If you’re building a highly interactive dashboard or real-time application, you might want to stick with a traditional SPA framework. But for content sites, Astro is hard to beat.
Getting Started
Starting with Astro is straightforward:
npm create astro@latestThe CLI walks you through setup, and you can be up and running in minutes. The documentation is excellent, and the community is welcoming.
Give it a try on your next project. I think you’ll be impressed by how fast your sites can be.