Eleventy, also known as @11ty/eleventy, is a static site generator built with JavaScript that allows developers to create fast and flexible websites. It focuses on simplicity and ease of use, providing a minimal setup and configuration process. Eleventy supports various template languages like Markdown, HTML, and JavaScript, giving developers the flexibility to choose the best approach for their projects. It also offers a rich plugin ecosystem for extending its functionality and integrating with other tools.
Astro is a modern static site generator that prioritizes performance and developer experience. It allows developers to build websites using familiar web technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, while providing features like automatic code splitting, optimized loading, and server-side rendering. Astro's component-oriented approach enables reusability and composability, making it easy to create complex web applications with minimal configuration.
Both @11ty/eleventy and Astro are popular npm packages in the static site generator space. Eleventy has established itself as a reliable and widely-used static site generator with a large community base and extensive documentation. Astro, on the other hand, is a relatively newer entrant and has gained attention for its unique features and modern architecture.
Architecture
Eleventy is a straightforward and simple static site generator that works by transforming templates and data into static HTML files. It allows developers to use different template languages such as Markdown, Nunjucks, and Liquid. Astro, on the other hand, takes a different approach by blending static site generation and server-side rendering. It allows you to build components using your preferred UI framework and renders them at build time or runtime depending on your configuration.
Flexibility
Eleventy is highly flexible and allows developers to use any tools, libraries, or frameworks they prefer. It doesn't impose any specific choices and can be easily integrated with other front-end tools. Astro, on the other hand, provides a more opinionated approach by encouraging the use of its own Astro-specific components and build pipeline. While it supports popular frameworks like React, Vue, and Svelte, the usage of these frameworks within Astro may have some limitations.
Performance
Both Eleventy and Astro focus on performance. Eleventy generates static HTML files which are fast and efficient to serve. Astro, with its blend of static generation and server-side rendering, allows for highly performant websites by rendering only the necessary components at runtime. However, Astro's runtime-based rendering approach may introduce additional complexity and potential performance overhead when compared to the purely static output of Eleventy.
Developer Experience
Eleventy has a simple and intuitive configuration, making it easy for developers to get started. It has a mature and stable ecosystem with extensive documentation, plugins, and community support. Astro, being a newer framework, is still evolving and its ecosystem is not as mature as Eleventy's. However, Astro provides a modern development experience, with features like hot module reloading, rich IDE integration, and flexible component-based architecture.
Community and Support
Eleventy has a strong and active community with a large number of contributors and users. It benefits from widespread adoption and has a wide range of plugins and templates available. Astro, being relatively newer, has a smaller community but is growing rapidly. It has an active Discord community where developers can seek help and share their experiences.
