Astro Framework

Astro 5.x framework for building fast, content-focused websites with Islands Architecture and zero JavaScript by default.

Core Principles

1. Zero JavaScript by Default

Astro ships ZERO JavaScript unless you explicitly add a client directive.

<!-- Static HTML (no JS) -->
<Header />
<Footer />

<!-- Interactive island (JS loaded) -->
<Counter client:idle />

Rule: Only use client directives when components need hooks, state, or browser APIs.

2. Client Directives

Directive	When to Use	Behavior
`client:load`	Critical interaction needed immediately	Hydrates on page load
`client:idle`	Non-critical interactivity	Hydrates when browser idle
`client:visible`	Below the fold content	Hydrates when scrolled into view
`client:media="(query)"`	Responsive components	Hydrates when media query matches
`client:only="framework"`	Breaks during SSR	Skips SSR, client-only render

Decision tree: Needs immediate interaction? → client:load | Non-critical? → client:idle | Below fold? → client:visible | Only on mobile/desktop? → client:media | Breaks SSR? → client:only

3. Multi-Framework Support

Mix React, Vue, Svelte in the same project:

npx astro add react vue svelte

---
import ReactForm from './Form.jsx';
import VueChart from './Chart.vue';
import SvelteCounter from './Counter.svelte';
---
<ReactForm client:idle />
<VueChart client:visible />
<SvelteCounter client:load />

Quick Start

npm create astro@latest my-project
cd my-project
npx astro add tailwind react
npm run dev

Project Structure

src/
├── components/       # .astro, .jsx, .vue, .svelte
├── layouts/          # Page layouts
├── pages/            # File-based routing
│   └── blog/[slug].astro
├── content/          # Content Collections (Markdown/MDX)
│   └── blog/         # Collection folders
├── styles/           # Global CSS
└── content.config.ts # Content collections schema (Astro 5+)

Configuration

// astro.config.mjs
import { defineConfig } from 'astro/config';
import tailwind from '@astrojs/tailwind';
import react from '@astrojs/react';

export default defineConfig({
  site: 'https://example.com',
  output: 'static',  // or 'server'
  integrations: [tailwind(), react()],
});

Output modes (Astro 5):

static - Blog, docs, marketing (default). Use export const prerender = false for SSR pages.
server - All pages SSR (requires adapter)

Astro 5 Change: output: 'hybrid' was removed. The hybrid behavior is now the default in static mode.

View Transitions

Enable SPA-like navigation with the Client Router:

---
import { ClientRouter } from 'astro:transitions';
---
<html>
  <head>
    <ClientRouter />
  </head>
  <body><slot /></body>
</html>

Note: In Astro 5, ViewTransitions was renamed to ClientRouter.

Commands

npm run dev              # Start dev server (localhost:4321)
npm run build            # Build for production
npm run preview          # Preview production build
npx astro check          # TypeScript checks

Core Patterns

Organized by priority - load on-demand as needed:

High Priority (Common Use Cases)

Content Collections - Type-safe CMS for Markdown/MDX
Image Optimization - Built-in Image and Picture components
Server-Side Rendering - Dynamic routes, cookies, headers
API Endpoints - Server-side API routes, RSS, sitemap

Medium Priority (Specific Features)

Middleware - Request interception for auth, logging
Pagination - Paginate large collections
Environment & Config - Environment variables, TypeScript helpers

Low Priority (Advanced)

Custom Integrations - Extend Astro's build process

Real-World Recipes

Complete examples for common scenarios:

Blog Setup - Full blog with tags, RSS, layouts
Multi-Step Forms - React form with API integration
Authentication - Cookie-based auth with protected routes
SEO - Open Graph, Twitter Cards, structured data
i18n - Multi-language support
Dark Mode - Theme toggle with localStorage

External Resources

Official Documentation: https://docs.astro.build
Islands Architecture: https://docs.astro.build/en/concepts/islands/
Client Directives: https://docs.astro.build/en/reference/directives-reference/#client-directives

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