Astro adoption guide: Overview, examples, and alternatives

Astro is a modern web framework that emphasizes simplicity, speed, and an outstanding developer experience by defaulting to zero JavaScript, which enhances performance, especially on mobile devices. Created by Fred Schott and Nate Moore, Astro began as a tool for building fast static content sites and remains focused on ease of use, allowing content from various sources to be integrated seamlessly. Its unique islands architecture enables partial hydration, where only specific interactive components are hydrated on otherwise static pages, ensuring fast load times. Astro supports various frontend tools such as React, Vue, and Tailwind CSS, and has expanded to include features like server endpoints, Content Collections, and View Transitions, making it a versatile choice for content-focused websites and applications. The vibrant Astro community offers support through events and resources, enhancing its ecosystem. While Astro excels in building static and content-driven sites, it also supports dynamic applications, though its use should be carefully considered based on the project's needs. Comparisons with frameworks like Next.js reveal Astro's strengths in performance for mostly static sites, while Next.js may be preferable for rich, stateful applications.