Astro is revolutionizing the way we build static websites. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to create a minimal, fast-loading blog that prioritizes performance and simplicity.

Why Choose Astro?

Astro’s unique approach to static site generation offers several advantages:

• Zero JavaScript by default: Your pages load faster
• Component Islands: Use React, Vue, or Svelte only where needed
• Built-in optimizations: Automatic image optimization and asset bundling
• Developer experience: Hot reloading and TypeScript support

Getting Started

First, create a new Astro project:

npm create astro@latest my-blog

Setting Up Content Collections

Content collections are Astro’s way of managing structured content like blog posts. They provide type safety and make it easy to query your content.

// src/content/config.ts
import { defineCollection, z } from "astro:content"

const blogCollection = defineCollection({
  type: "content",
  schema: z.object({
    title: z.string(),
    description: z.string(),
    pubDate: z.date(),
    tags: z.array(z.string()),
  }),
})

export const collections = {
  blog: blogCollection,
}

Creating Your First Post

Content collections make it easy to write posts in Markdown with frontmatter:

---
title: "My First Post"
description: "This is my first blog post"
pubDate: 2024-01-01
tags: ["astro", "blog"]
---

# My First Post

Welcome to my new blog!

Conclusion

Astro provides an excellent foundation for building minimal, performant blogs. Its content collections feature makes managing articles straightforward while maintaining type safety.

The combination of static generation, minimal JavaScript, and excellent developer experience makes Astro an ideal choice for content-focused websites.