Astro : Astro is a new JavaScript-based static site builder.
This technology is used by 1.2% of websites in the Static site generator category. The most popular industry vertical is Technology & Computing, with Computing being the top subcategory.
What is Astro?
Astro is a modern static site generator and web framework that focuses on content-rich websites with minimal JavaScript. Its "Islands Architecture" delivers static HTML by default while allowing interactive UI components to hydrate independently when needed.
Created by Fred K. Schott (creator of Snowpack) and launched in 2021, Astro takes a different approach than SPA frameworks. Instead of shipping a JavaScript application, Astro ships HTML and only includes JavaScript for components that need interactivity. This results in dramatically faster websites while still supporting React, Vue, Svelte, and other UI frameworks for interactive islands.
Industry Vertical Distribution
Technologies Frequently Used with Astro
| Technology | Co-usage Rate | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Open Graph | 64% | https://ogp.me |
| HSTS | 52% | https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6797#section-6.1 |
| HTTP/3 | 28% | https://httpwg.org/ |
| Cloudflare | 20% | http://www.cloudflare.com |
| PWA | 18% | https://web.dev/progressive-web-apps/ |
| Google Analytics | 16% | http://google.com/analytics |
| Google Tag Manager | 14% | http://www.google.com/tagmanager |
| Google Workspace | 14% | https://workspace.google.com/ |
| React | 14% | https://reactjs.org |
| cdnjs | 10% | https://cdnjs.com |
Key Features
Islands Architecture
- Static by Default: Pages render to HTML at build time
- Partial Hydration: Only interactive components load JS
- Client Directives: Control when/if components hydrate
- Multiple Frameworks: Mix React, Vue, Svelte in one page
Content Collections
- Type-Safe: TypeScript schemas for content
- Markdown/MDX: Native content file support
- Frontmatter: Metadata in content files
- Querying: getCollection API for content
Developer Experience
- .astro Files: HTML-first component syntax
- Scoped Styles: CSS scoped to components
- File-Based Routing: pages/ directory routing
- Built-in Optimizations: Image, CSS, JS optimization
Deployment
- Static site generation (SSG)
- Server-side rendering (SSR)
- Hybrid rendering modes
- Edge function support
AI-Powered Technology Recommendations
Our AI recommender engine, trained on 100 million data points, suggests these technologies for websites using Astro:
| Technology | AI Score | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Netlify | 0.22 | https://www.netlify.com/ |
| UPS | 0.2 | https://www.ups.com |
| TinyMCE | 0.19 | http://tinymce.com |
| BugSnag | 0.18 | http://bugsnag.com |
| NextGEN Gallery | 0.17 | https://www.imagely.com/wordpress-gallery-plugin |
| Elfsight | 0.17 | https://elfsight.com |
| Judge.me | 0.16 | https://judge.me |
| EqualWeb | 0.16 | https://www.equalweb.com/ |
| OneTrust | 0.16 | http://www.onetrust.com |
| Gatsby | 0.15 | https://www.gatsbyjs.org/ |
IAB Tier 1 Vertical Distribution
Relative Usage by Industry
Market Distribution Comparison
Use Cases
Documentation Sites
Technical documentation benefits from Astro's content focus. Starlight, Astro's documentation theme, powers docs for major projects with fast search, multi-language support, and excellent performance.
Marketing Websites
Marketing teams build fast landing pages with minimal JavaScript. Interactive elements like forms and carousels hydrate as islands while the rest loads instantly as static HTML.
Blogs
Content creators publish blogs with Astro's Markdown and MDX support. Posts are written in Markdown with optional React components for interactive elements.
E-commerce Storefronts
Online stores use Astro for product pages that load instantly. Cart interactions and checkout hydrate as needed while product information renders statically.
Portfolio Sites
Developers and designers showcase work with Astro portfolios. Image optimization built-in ensures fast loading galleries without configuration.
Company Websites
Businesses build corporate websites with excellent Core Web Vitals. Content teams update Markdown files while developers maintain component libraries.
IAB Tier 2 Subcategory Distribution
Top Websites Using Astro
| Website | IAB Category | Subcategory | OpenRank |
|---|---|---|---|
| limpbizkit.com | Music and Audio | Rock Music | 4.38 |
| melonjs.org | Video Gaming | Video Game Genres | 4.21 |
| flexponsive.net | Business and Finance | Industries | 4.14 |
| henryfellerhoff.com | Technology & Computing | Design | 4.14 |
| snugug.com | Books and Literature | Computing | 4.13 |
| geoexamples.com | Technology & Computing | Computing | 4.12 |
| getdex.com | Personal Finance | Computing | 4.06 |
| picwish.com | Hobbies & Interests | Arts and Crafts | 3.95 |
| konsensus.network | Technology & Computing | Computing | 3.92 |
| poohbers.com | Home & Garden | Design | 3.9 |
Code Examples
Astro Component
---
// Frontmatter runs at build time
const pageTitle = "Welcome";
const posts = await getCollection('blog');
---
<html>
<head>
<title>{pageTitle}</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>{pageTitle}</h1>
{posts.map(post => (
<article>
<h2>{post.data.title}</h2>
<p>{post.data.description}</p>
</article>
))}
</body>
</html>
<style>
h1 { color: navy; } /* Scoped to this component */
</style>Client Directives
---
import Counter from '../components/Counter.jsx';
import Newsletter from '../components/Newsletter.vue';
---
<!-- Hydrate on page load -->
<Counter client:load />
<!-- Hydrate when visible -->
<Newsletter client:visible />
<!-- Hydrate when idle -->
<Comments client:idle />
<!-- Only runs on client, not SSR -->
<ThemeToggle client:only="react" />Content Collection
// src/content/config.ts
import { defineCollection, z } from 'astro:content';
const blog = defineCollection({
schema: z.object({
title: z.string(),
pubDate: z.date(),
tags: z.array(z.string()),
draft: z.boolean().default(false)
})
});
export const collections = { blog };Dynamic Routes
---
// src/pages/blog/[slug].astro
export async function getStaticPaths() {
const posts = await getCollection('blog');
return posts.map(post => ({
params: { slug: post.slug },
props: { post }
}));
}
const { post } = Astro.props;
const { Content } = await post.render();
---
<article>
<h1>{post.data.title}</h1>
<Content />
</article>Usage by Domain Popularity (Top 1M)
Usage by Domain Age
The average age of websites using Astro is 10.4 years. The average OpenRank (measure of backlink strength) is 2.83.
Comparison and Ecosystem
Astro Ecosystem
- Starlight: Documentation theme
- Integrations: Tailwind, React, Vue, Svelte
- Adapters: Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare, Node
- Themes: Community template gallery
Astro vs Next.js
- JavaScript: Astro minimal, Next.js SPA
- Use Case: Astro content, Next.js apps
- Framework: Astro multi-framework, Next.js React
- Performance: Astro faster for content sites
Astro vs Gatsby
- Build: Astro faster builds
- Data: Gatsby GraphQL, Astro flexible
- Size: Astro much smaller output
Advantages
- Excellent Core Web Vitals scores
- Use any UI framework
- Simple content authoring
- Fast development experience
Considerations
- Not ideal for highly interactive apps
- Islands can add complexity
- Newer ecosystem than Next.js
- SSR adapter-dependent
Emerging Websites Using Astro
| Website | IAB Category | Subcategory | OpenRank |
|---|---|---|---|
| mjvolk.com | Technology & Computing | Computing | 0 |
| itsjoeoui.com | Events and Attractions | Arts and Crafts | 0 |
| pickerson.com | Technology & Computing | Computing | 0.83 |
| benjamin-cox.com | Sports | Rugby | 0.94 |
| healthycommunitiesa3.com | Healthy Living | Wellness | 1.07 |
Technologies Less Frequently Used with Astro
| Technology | Co-usage Rate | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Firebase | 2% | https://firebase.com |
| Underscore.js | 2% | http://underscorejs.org |
| Checkfront | 2% | https://www.checkfront.com |
| Wurfl | 2% | https://web.wurfl.io/ |
| Next.js | 2% | https://nextjs.org |
