Getting Started with Astro

Astro is a modern web framework that helps you build faster websites with less JavaScript. It’s perfect for content-focused sites like blogs, documentation, and portfolios.

Why Astro?

Astro brings several advantages to the table:

1. Zero JS by default - Ship only the JavaScript you need
2. Island Architecture - Isolated component hydration
3. UI-agnostic - Use React, Vue, Svelte, or just HTML
4. Fast builds - Optimized for speed

Performance First

Astro’s approach to performance is simple: ship less JavaScript. By default, Astro strips all JavaScript from your final build and only hydrates interactive components when needed.

// Example: A simple Astro component
---
interface Props {
  title: string;
  description?: string;
}

const { title, description = 'Default description' } = Astro.props;
---

<div class="card">
  <h2>{title}</h2>
  {description && <p>{description}</p>}
</div>

Setting Up Your First Project

Getting started with Astro is straightforward. Here’s what you need to do:

# Create a new project
npm create astro@latest

# Navigate to your project
cd my-astro-site

# Start the dev server
npm run dev

Adding Tailwind CSS

Tailwind integrates seamlessly with Astro:

npx astro add tailwind

This command will:

• Install Tailwind CSS
• Create a tailwind.config.mjs file
• Update your Astro config

Pro tip: Use @tailwindcss/typography for beautiful prose styling. It’s perfect for blog posts and markdown content!

Working with Markdown

Astro has first-class support for Markdown and MDX. You can write your content in .md or .mdx files and Astro will automatically convert them to HTML.

Here’s an example of inline code: const greeting = 'Hello, Astro!'

Code Blocks

Astro uses Shiki for syntax highlighting, which means your code blocks look amazing out of the box:

// Function to calculate fibonacci numbers
function fibonacci(n) {
  if (n <= 1) return n;
  return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
}

console.log(fibonacci(10)); // 55

Components and Islands

One of Astro’s killer features is Islands Architecture. This allows you to:

• Build your site with any UI framework
• Only hydrate interactive components
• Keep the rest of your site static

---
import Counter from '../components/Counter.tsx';
---

<div>
  <h1>My Page</h1>
  <!-- This component is interactive -->
  <Counter client:load />
</div>

Conclusion

Astro is a powerful tool for building modern websites. Its focus on performance and developer experience makes it a joy to work with.

Key takeaways:

• Astro ships zero JavaScript by default
• Use any UI framework you like
• Perfect for content-focused sites
• Great developer experience

Ready to build something awesome? Check out the official documentation to learn more!