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The homepage is all hype, I'm still not sure what Astro really _is_. From clicking through to GitHub I know you install it with npm, so I guess it's written in

The homepage is all hype, I'm still not sure what Astro really _is_. From clicking through to GitHub I know you install it with npm, so I guess it's written in JavaScript. I guess it's focused on browser side but for 'all in one's I'd expect something server side too?

promiseofbeans 3y ago
It's a static site generator (that can also run SSR sites if you need to update pages fast - e.g. for ecommerce) for conent focused sites + a custom templating language that lets you use UI components from any framework.
rado 3y ago
Astro is an all-in-one web framework powered by your favorite UI components and libraries Clear as mud.
- c-hendricks 3y ago
  Nah not really. Are you not sure what a framework is? Or are you confused by there being different UI components and libraries? Either way both are pretty easy to look up!
  - rado 3y ago
    “all-in-one”
    - c-hendricks 3y ago
      Yes, that is what it says. all-in-one (new oxford dictionary): "combining two or more items or functions in a single unit" Astro - can do SPA - can do MPA - can use a variety of different view libraries - can write endpoints to serve any data So is your ill-defined issue with "all-in-one" the fact that it doesn't support every single view library?
lloeki 3y ago
> I guess it's focused on browser side hmm, doesn't look like so: > Leverage Astro's unique zero-JS frontend architecture combined with: > Deploy anywhere, even to the edge we could infer it doesn't run anything client side nor server side, so it looks like a neighbour comment would be right, this homepage is all about a fancy way of describing a static site generator?
- Capricorn2481 3y ago
  No, it allows ssr and JavaScript components from any framework
have_faith 3y ago
It's a framework like NextJS. It focuses on static content generation first but allows you to make small parts of the page interactive (JS rendered) instead of making whole pages JS rendered in order to facilitate some interactive widget in the corner (hence the name Islands Architecture). It also has an ability to mix and match components from different frameworks on the same page/site. I think this is mostly a gimmick though, no one should be pulling in multiple frameworks for a single page or site.
- CharlieDigital 3y ago
  Definitely not a gimmick; it's not that most teams would pull in components from different frameworks, it's that teams can add targeted interactivity using the framework of their choice on one shared templating framework that can run on the server per request or generated once on build. Astro is really, really neat, IMO and suitable for use cases that are content focused but still require encapsulated areas of interactive components.
- jakelazaroff 3y ago
  What if you have a bunch of code written in one framework and you want to do a gradual migration to another?
nsonha 3y ago
it's an implementation of the micro-frontend idea: https://micro-frontends.org https://micro-frontends.org here is the key page: https://docs.astro.build/en/concepts/islands https://docs.astro.build/en/concepts/islands
- schemescape 3y ago
  Thank you! I’ve seen Astro referenced and praised many times, gone to the homepage, and clicked around, etc. That second link is the only one I’ve seen that explains what Astro actually does.
deleted 3y ago
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sph 3y ago
It's a framework for hype driven junior developers. They have the staying power of a mayfly.

promiseofbeans 3y ago

It's a static site generator (that can also run SSR sites if you need to update pages fast - e.g. for ecommerce) for conent focused sites + a custom templating language that lets you use UI components from any framework.

rado 3y ago

Astro is an all-in-one web framework powered by your favorite UI components and libraries Clear as mud.

c-hendricks 3y ago
Nah not really. Are you not sure what a framework is? Or are you confused by there being different UI components and libraries? Either way both are pretty easy to look up!
- rado 3y ago
  “all-in-one”
  - c-hendricks 3y ago
    Yes, that is what it says. all-in-one (new oxford dictionary): "combining two or more items or functions in a single unit" Astro - can do SPA - can do MPA - can use a variety of different view libraries - can write endpoints to serve any data So is your ill-defined issue with "all-in-one" the fact that it doesn't support every single view library?

lloeki 3y ago

> I guess it's focused on browser side hmm, doesn't look like so: > Leverage Astro's unique zero-JS frontend architecture combined with: > Deploy anywhere, even to the edge we could infer it doesn't run anything client side nor server side, so it looks like a neighbour comment would be right, this homepage is all about a fancy way of describing a static site generator?

Capricorn2481 3y ago
No, it allows ssr and JavaScript components from any framework

have_faith 3y ago

It's a framework like NextJS. It focuses on static content generation first but allows you to make small parts of the page interactive (JS rendered) instead of making whole pages JS rendered in order to facilitate some interactive widget in the corner (hence the name Islands Architecture). It also has an ability to mix and match components from different frameworks on the same page/site. I think this is mostly a gimmick though, no one should be pulling in multiple frameworks for a single page or site.

CharlieDigital 3y ago
Definitely not a gimmick; it's not that most teams would pull in components from different frameworks, it's that teams can add targeted interactivity using the framework of their choice on one shared templating framework that can run on the server per request or generated once on build. Astro is really, really neat, IMO and suitable for use cases that are content focused but still require encapsulated areas of interactive components.
jakelazaroff 3y ago
What if you have a bunch of code written in one framework and you want to do a gradual migration to another?

nsonha 3y ago

it's an implementation of the micro-frontend idea: https://micro-frontends.org https://micro-frontends.org here is the key page: https://docs.astro.build/en/concepts/islands https://docs.astro.build/en/concepts/islands

schemescape 3y ago
Thank you! I’ve seen Astro referenced and praised many times, gone to the homepage, and clicked around, etc. That second link is the only one I’ve seen that explains what Astro actually does.

deleted 3y ago

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sph 3y ago

It's a framework for hype driven junior developers. They have the staying power of a mayfly.