- Astro is a static site generator and a modern web framework that aims to combine the best of both static and dynamic web development.
- It allows developers to build websites that are fast, secure, and maintainable by generating static HTML at build time and enhancing it with JavaScript as needed.
- Astro offers a range of key features, including:Incremental Static Generation (ISG): Generate pages on-demand, reducing build times.Single-file components: Write components in a single file for easy organization.Fast loading: Astro prioritizes performance with minimal JavaScript.Framework agnostic: Use your preferred frontend framework or none at all.Rich data loading: Fetch data at build time or on the client using Astro’s data loading strategies.
- To get started with Astro, install it using npm or yarn:npm install -g create-astro
- Create a new Astro project with:npx create-astro my-astro-project
- Astro projects typically have the following structure:- src/ - components/ - layouts/ - pages/
- Layouts define the structure of your pages, while components encapsulate UI elements.
- Astro uses the .astro file extension for components and layouts.
- Astro supports file-based routing. Create files in the pages directory, and they become routes.
- For dynamic routes, use the [name].astro convention.
- Use Astro’s data loading strategies to fetch data at build time or on the client.
- Strategies include load, load-once, and load-everything.
- Deploy your Astro site like any static website. Popular options include Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages.
- Astro prioritizes performance, but you can further optimize by:Using responsive images with the astro-image component.Lazy loading assets with the loading attribute.Minifying CSS and JavaScript.
