Why Astro stands out as a modern SSG

Astro is a modern JavaScript framework that simplifies building fast, content-focused websites with powerful static site generation (SSG) capabilities.

Understanding Static Site Generation

There are three primary approaches to serving websites:

1. Server-Side Rendering (SSR): HTML is generated on-demand per request
2. Client-Side Rendering (CSR): Minimal HTML is sent with extensive JavaScript that builds the page in the browser
3. Static Site Generation (SSG): HTML pages are pre-built during development and served instantly

SSG offers peak efficiency since pages are pre-rendered as static files. While it traditionally limited dynamic functionality, modern tools like Astro overcome this through smart hydration techniques.

Why SSG Matters

Imagine creating dozens of similar pages (like blog posts) sharing common layouts and components. Manually updating each page becomes impractical. SSG solves this by:

• Separating content from templates
• Automatically generating pages during build
• Enabling site-wide updates through shared components

Astro’s Unique Advantages

Unlike traditional SSGs (Hugo, Jekyll) or UI libraries (React, Vue), Astro delivers a complete solution:

• All-in-one architecture:
  Built-in routing, SSG, SSR options, and optimizations eliminate dependency sprawl

• Zero-JS by default:
  Components render as static HTML unless explicitly hydrated

• Framework-agnostic components:
  Seamlessly integrate React or Vue islands in Astro components

• Content-first design:
  Markdown support with type-safe frontmatter validation out-of-the-box

• Modern DX:
  Hot reloading, image optimization, and CLI tooling in a single package

I personally use Astro to build this site and I like it!