Getting Started with Astro: A Comprehensive Guide
Learn how to build modern websites with Astro framework. This comprehensive guide covers installation, project setup, and best practices.
Getting Started with Astro: A Comprehensive Guide
“Astro combines the best of static site generation with modern component architecture, delivering unmatched performance with a developer-friendly workflow.”
In this guide, we’ll explore:
- Why Astro stands out from other frameworks
- Core concepts and architecture
- Step-by-step setup instructions
- Best practices from production experience
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Islands Architecture: Delivers near-instant page loads
- Multi-Framework: Use React, Vue, or Svelte components
- Content Safety: Type-safe Markdown/MDX content
- Optimized Builds: Automatic performance optimizations
Astro is a modern static site builder that delivers lightning-fast performance with a developer-friendly workflow. In this guide, we’ll walk through the core concepts that make Astro special.
Why Choose Astro?
Astro combines the best of static site generation with modern component architecture. Key benefits include:
- Islands Architecture: Only ship JavaScript when needed
- Multi-Framework Support: Use React, Vue, Svelte components alongside Astro
- Content Collections: Type-safe Markdown/MDX content
Installation
Getting started is simple with npm:
npm create astro@latestThis will guide you through project setup with sensible defaults.
Building Your First Page
Astro pages use .astro files that combine HTML templating with JavaScript expressions. Here’s a simple example:
---
// Component script (runs at build time)
const title = "Hello World";
---
<!-- Component template -->
<html>
<head>
<title>{title}</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>{title}</h1>
</body>
</html>Next Steps
From here you can explore:
- Adding interactive components
- Working with Markdown content
- Deploying your site
Astro’s documentation is excellent - check it out at astro.build.