Over the past few years, the JavaScript framework landscape has expanded considerably. React, Vue, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit - the options are endless. Yet for showcase sites and blogs, we made a different choice: Astro.
A framework built for content
Astro starts from a simple observation: most websites don’t need to ship megabytes of JavaScript to the browser. A showcase site, a portfolio, a blog - these are fundamentally static pages enriched with a handful of interactions.
Where Next.js or Nuxt generate client-hydrated Single Page Applications, Astro takes the opposite approach. By default, zero JavaScript is sent to the browser. HTML is generated at build time, and interactive components are only loaded when needed, through a system called the “Islands Architecture”.
Unbeatable real-world performance
On the ISM Lausanne project, we achieved a Lighthouse score of 98/100 on performance from the very first deployment. No manual optimisation, no complex cache configuration. Static generation does the work.
For SMEs and freelancers, this translates to concrete benefits:
- Near-instant loading on mobile, even on average 4G connections
- Better Google rankings thanks to green Core Web Vitals
- Reduced hosting costs: a static site runs on any server
Integration with modern CMSs
Astro integrates seamlessly with Content Collections, its native file-based content management system. For projects like ours, this is ideal: content is versioned alongside code, directly editable, with no database to maintain.
For clients who prefer an admin interface, Astro natively supports Sanity, Contentful, Strapi or Decap CMS. The best of both worlds.
Multilingual support without the headache
One of the recurring challenges in our projects is multi-language support. With our Astro setup, /fr/, /en/, /de/ routes are generated automatically from a single translations file.
// One call, three languages
export async function getStaticPaths() {
const langs = ['en', 'de'];
return langs.flatMap(lang =>
posts.map(post => ({ params: { lang, slug: post.slug }, props: { post } }))
);
}
Astro isn’t for every project
To be honest: Astro isn’t the right answer for everything. For complex web applications with authentication, shared state and rich interactions, Next.js or SvelteKit remain more appropriate. That’s actually the stack we use for projects like Basik Talents or Média Formation.
But for a professional showcase site, a portfolio, or a company blog, Astro is our standard. Fast to develop, fast to ship, fast for the end user.
Thinking about a website redesign? Contact us to discuss the best approach for your needs.