Gridsome Technology Intelligence

What is Gridsome?

Gridsome is a Vue.js-powered static site generator that brings the Jamstack architecture to Vue developers. It generates static HTML at build time while providing full Vue.js interactivity after hydration, combining the best of static sites and single-page applications.

Inspired by Gatsby's approach to React, Gridsome was created to give Vue developers a similar experience. It uses GraphQL as a unified data layer, pulling content from CMSs, APIs, Markdown files, or any data source into a single queryable interface. Gridsome sites deploy to any static hosting provider and deliver exceptional performance with pre-rendered pages, automatic code splitting, and intelligent prefetching.

Key Features

GraphQL Data Layer

• Unified API: Query all data sources through GraphQL
• Source Plugins: Connect WordPress, Contentful, filesystems
• Schema Generation: Automatic type inference
• GraphQL Explorer: Built-in IDE for query development

Vue.js Foundation

• Vue Components: Full Vue.js component system
• Single File Components: .vue file support
• Vue Router: File-based routing with Vue Router
• Vuex Support: State management integration

Performance Optimization

• Static Generation: Pre-rendered HTML pages
• Code Splitting: Automatic route-based splitting
• Image Processing: Responsive images with lazy loading
• Link Prefetching: Predictive page loading

Developer Experience

• Hot module replacement
• Plugin architecture
• SCSS, Less, Stylus support
• Progressive Web App ready

Use Cases

Developer Blogs

Technical bloggers use Gridsome with Markdown content. The @gridsome/source-filesystem plugin processes local Markdown files, while syntax highlighting plugins handle code blocks for programming tutorials.

Documentation Sites

Vue ecosystem projects host documentation on Gridsome. The framework's Vue foundation means documentation examples run natively, and the GraphQL layer organizes complex documentation structures.

Portfolio Websites

Designers and developers showcase work with Gridsome's image handling. The g-image component automatically generates responsive sizes, WebP formats, and blur-up placeholders.

Marketing Landing Pages

Marketing teams build fast landing pages pulling content from headless CMS platforms. Contentful and Sanity integrations allow non-technical editors to update content without code changes.

Small Business Sites

Local businesses get fast, secure websites without server management. Static hosting on Netlify or Vercel costs nothing for modest traffic, with global CDN distribution.

JAMstack Applications

Developers build modern web applications following JAMstack principles. Gridsome generates the static frontend while serverless functions handle dynamic features.

Code Examples

Page Query

<template>
    <Layout>
        <h1>{{ $page.post.title }}</h1>
        <div v-html="$page.post.content" />
    </Layout>
</template>

<page-query>
query Post ($id: ID!) {
    post (id: $id) {
        title
        content
        date (format: "MMMM D, YYYY")
        author {
            name
        }
    }
}
</page-query>

Static Query

<template>
    <header>
        <h1>{{ $static.metadata.siteName }}</h1>
    </header>
</template>

<static-query>
query {
    metadata {
        siteName
        siteDescription
    }
}
</static-query>

gridsome.config.js

module.exports = {
    siteName: 'My Blog',
    plugins: [
        {
            use: '@gridsome/source-filesystem',
            options: {
                typeName: 'Post',
                path: 'content/posts/**/*.md',
            }
        },
        {
            use: '@gridsome/source-contentful',
            options: {
                space: process.env.CONTENTFUL_SPACE,
                accessToken: process.env.CONTENTFUL_TOKEN,
                typeName: 'Contentful'
            }
        }
    ],
    templates: {
        Post: '/blog/:slug'
    }
};

Responsive Images

<template>
    <g-image
        src="~/assets/hero.jpg"
        width="800"
        height="400"
        fit="cover"
        quality="80"
        blur="10"
        alt="Hero image"
    />
</template>

Comparison and Future

Gridsome vs Nuxt

• Rendering: Gridsome static-only, Nuxt flexible (SSR, SSG, SPA)
• Data Layer: Gridsome uses GraphQL, Nuxt uses asyncData/fetch
• Complexity: Gridsome simpler, Nuxt more features
• Use Case: Gridsome content sites, Nuxt applications

Gridsome vs Gatsby

• Framework: Gridsome Vue-based, Gatsby React-based
• Data Layer: Both use GraphQL
• Ecosystem: Gatsby larger plugin ecosystem
• Community: Gatsby more active development

Advantages

• Vue.js ecosystem integration
• GraphQL unifies data sources
• Excellent performance defaults
• Simple learning curve for Vue devs

Current Status

• Development has slowed significantly
• Vue 3 support incomplete
• Many developers migrating to Nuxt 3
• Still works well for existing projects

Alternatives to Consider

• Nuxt 3: Full-featured Vue framework with SSG mode
• VitePress: Vue-powered static site generator
• Astro: Framework-agnostic with Vue support