What is Astro?
Astro is an open-source web framework focused on content-driven sites such as blogs, marketing sites and e-commerce. The docs describe an islands architecture that renders most of the page to static HTML and hydrates interactive components (from React, Vue, Svelte and others) only where needed, and the homepage says Astro only ships the JavaScript you need. Components are rendered on the server, which moves expensive rendering off visitors' devices.
In January 2026 the Astro Technology Company and its core team joined Cloudflare. The announcement states that Astro stays open-source and MIT-licensed, continues to support a wide set of deployment targets, and keeps its open governance and roadmap.
You install it with npm create astro@latest, which the README calls the recommended way, or manually with npm install astro. Built-in features include content collections with TypeScript type-safety and frontmatter validation for Markdown and MDX, a flexible routing system, optimized images, view transitions, middleware, actions for type-safe backend functions, and an official MCP server for AI tools. Deployment adapters give one-line configuration for Netlify, Vercel, AWS and other hosts. Astro supports React, Vue, Preact, Svelte, Solid and other UI frameworks, so existing components can be reused.
Key capabilities
- Server-first rendering Lightweight HTML with minimal client JavaScript
- Islands Interactive components from React, Vue, Svelte and others
- Content collections Typed, validated Markdown and MDX content
- Routing and middleware File-based routing and request middleware
- View transitions Built-in browser-native page transitions
- Install Npm create astro@latest
Where Astro fits
- Content sites Blogs, marketing sites and documentation
- Selective interactivity Hydrate only the components that need it
- Content management Load data from files, APIs or a CMS
- UI framework mixing Several UI libraries in one project
- Deployment Node.js, Cloudflare, Vercel, Netlify and other targets
Install
npm create astro@latestReviews of Astro
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