Websites & Web Development Frameworks - Astro
Fast loading, search-engine optimised (SEO) websites are critical. To produce top quality results, web developers need a framework to be able to quickly iterate while achieving a high level of quality.
Astro is the leading web framework for building websites and web applications.
Why Astro?
Section titled “Why Astro?”⚡ Fast
Section titled “⚡ Fast”- Faster time-to-market: Simple architecture means quicker development cycles
- Instant page loads: Minimal JavaScript delivers superior user experience
- Rapid deployment: Static sites deploy instantly without complex server infrastructure
- Quick hiring: Common skills reduce recruitment time and costs
🛡️ Durable
Section titled “🛡️ Durable”- Reduced security exposure: Fewer dependencies mean fewer vulnerabilities to manage
- Future-proof technology: Built on web standards that have decades of stability
- Lower technical debt: Simple codebases remain maintainable as teams change
- Vendor independence: No lock-in to specific framework companies or licensing models
💰 Cost Effective
Section titled “💰 Cost Effective”- Minimal infrastructure costs: Static hosting is 10x cheaper than dynamic alternatives
- Reduced maintenance overhead: Less complexity means fewer support hours
- Lower bandwidth bills: Smaller bundle sizes reduce CDN and hosting costs
- Streamlined operations: Fewer moving parts mean less monitoring and debugging
Business Benefits
Section titled “Business Benefits”- 30-50% faster page loads improve conversion rates and user satisfaction
- 90% reduction in hosting costs compared to traditional dynamic sites
- Fewer security patches and maintenance windows reduce operational disruption
- Easier staff transitions with widely-known technologies reduce knowledge transfer risks
- Better SEO performance from fast, static pages improves organic traffic
Technical Recommendations
Section titled “Technical Recommendations”When building a site with Astro, you should decide whether a purely static site is achievable or if dynamic portions of the site will be required.
Static sites can easily be hosted in object storage like S3 and can be fully cached by a CDN, and are therefore the lowest cost option of the two.
For dynamic sites, we recommend using containers for your compute, which will require building and pushing your site as a container image and deploying it to a container orchestration platform running in your cloud.
Check out our frontend page for more information about the technologies you may wish to layer atop Astro.
Core Stack
Section titled “Core Stack”- Astro: Static site generator with islands architecture for optimal performance
- TypeScript: Compile-time error catching reduces production issues
- Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework for styling
- Markdown: Simpler content creation and management
- JSX or MDX: Component-based development when templating is needed. MDX enables JSX in Markdown.
- Minimal dependencies: Prefer web standards over third-party packages
Interactive Elements
Section titled “Interactive Elements”- Progressive enhancement: Start with HTML/CSS, add JavaScript only when business value is clear
- React or Solid.js: When reactive components are required.
Documentation Sites
Section titled “Documentation Sites”- Starlight: Astro-based documentation framework with built-in search, navigation, and mobile responsiveness
Deployment
Section titled “Deployment”- rclone: For static sites, use this simple CLI for syncing your built
distdirectory to an S3 object store, such as AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Cloudflare R2.
Getting Started
Section titled “Getting Started”Begin with Astro for all new projects. Add reactive frameworks only when specific business requirements demand interactivity that cannot be achieved with web standards. This approach minimizes risk while maximizing performance and cost efficiency.