Building Modern Web Apps with Astro

Introduction

Astro has been making waves in the web development community, and for good reason. Its unique approach to building websites prioritizes performance without sacrificing developer experience.

In this post, I’ll share my experience building with Astro and why I think it’s an excellent choice for modern web development.

What Makes Astro Different?

Astro introduces a concept called Islands Architecture. Instead of shipping JavaScript for your entire page, Astro only hydrates the interactive components that need it.

This means:

• Faster page loads
• Better SEO
• Improved Core Web Vitals
• Less JavaScript shipped to the browser

My Favorite Features

1. Component Framework Agnostic

You can use React, Vue, Svelte, or plain HTML/CSS. Mix and match as needed:

---
import ReactComponent from './ReactComponent.jsx';
import VueComponent from './VueComponent.vue';
---

<div>
  <ReactComponent client:load />
  <VueComponent client:visible />
</div>

2. Content Collections

Managing blog posts and content becomes a breeze with Astro’s built-in content collections. Type-safe, easy to query, and perfect for markdown-based content.

3. Zero JavaScript by Default

Every component is server-rendered by default. You opt into client-side JavaScript only when you need it.

Real-World Performance

Since migrating my portfolio to Astro, I’ve seen:

• 95+ Lighthouse scores across the board
• Sub-second page load times
• Zero cumulative layout shift

Conclusion

Astro represents a return to fundamentals while embracing modern development practices. If you’re building content-focused sites or want better performance, give it a try.