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.
Nextra is a static site generator built on top of Next.js, providing a simple and efficient way to create static websites with dynamic capabilities. It leverages the power of Next.js for server-side rendering and routing while offering additional features like content management, theming, and customization through MDX (Markdown + JSX). Nextra simplifies the process of building and deploying static sites by combining the flexibility of Next.js with the simplicity of Markdown for content creation.
Both @11ty/eleventy and nextra are popular npm packages in the static site generator space. @11ty/eleventy has been around for longer and has a larger user base and community support. Nextra, on the other hand, has gained popularity for its simplicity and ease of use.
Features and Functionality
@11ty/eleventy is a highly flexible and customizable static site generator that supports various templating languages such as Markdown, Nunjucks, and Handlebars. It provides a wide range of features like data cascading, pagination, and custom collections. Nextra, on the other hand, is specifically designed for creating documentation websites with Next.js. It offers a streamlined setup for documentation projects and includes features like automatic sidebar generation and built-in search functionality.
Developer Experience
Both packages offer a good developer experience, but they have different approaches. @11ty/eleventy provides a more traditional static site generator experience with a command-line interface and configuration files. It requires some initial setup and configuration but offers more flexibility and customization options. Nextra, on the other hand, is built on top of Next.js and leverages its developer-friendly features. It provides a simpler setup and configuration process, making it easier to get started with documentation projects.
Community and Documentation
@11ty/eleventy has a larger and more established community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources available. It has been widely adopted and has a strong community support system. Nextra, although relatively newer, also has an active community and provides documentation specifically tailored for creating documentation websites using Nextra and Next.js.
Scalability and Performance
@11ty/eleventy is known for its performance and scalability. It generates static sites that are optimized for speed and can handle large projects efficiently. Nextra, being built on top of Next.js, benefits from its server-side rendering capabilities and optimized build process. It can handle larger projects as well, but may have some performance considerations depending on the complexity of the documentation site.
