Why We Chose Astro: Performance and Markdown Power

Introduction

When building the new online presence for Datumology, a data engineering consultancy focused on efficient impact through Edge Data and Lean AI, selecting the right web framework was crucial. We needed a platform that was not only fast and SEO-friendly but also offered a great developer experience, especially for content creation. After evaluating several options, we confidently chose Astro. Here’s why.

Performance First: Achieving Top PageSpeed Scores

Website performance is non-negotiable. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and negatively impact search engine rankings. Astro is built with performance as a core principle, utilizing an innovative Islands Architecture.

This architecture allows Astro to ship zero JavaScript by default. Interactive components (“islands”) only load their necessary JavaScript when they become visible or when the user interacts with them, significantly reducing the initial load time and improving metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Time to Interactive (TTI).

The results speak for themselves: Astro sites consistently achieve production-ready scores in PageSpeed Insights reports. This focus on speed ensures a smooth experience for visitors exploring Datumology’s services and insights.

Furthermore, Astro includes built-in Image Optimization using Astro Assets, ensuring that images are served in modern formats and appropriately sized, further boosting loading speed.

Seamless Content Creation with Markdown and MDX

As a consultancy sharing insights and articles, a streamlined content workflow is essential. Astro excels here with its first-class support for Markdown (.md) and MDX (.mdx).

• Markdown: Allows writing content using simple, intuitive syntax.
• MDX: Extends Markdown by allowing the use of interactive UI components (like charts or custom callouts) directly within content files.

This makes creating and managing blog posts, service pages, and case studies incredibly efficient. Astro’s content collection features also help organize and query content programmatically. The framework makes it easy to build a fast and SEO-friendly blog with features like automatic RSS feed generation.

Developer Experience and Ecosystem

Beyond performance and content, Astro offers a fantastic developer experience:

• UI Framework Agnostic: Use your favorite UI components built with React, Preact, Svelte, Vue, SolidJS, Lit, and more.
• Tailwind CSS Integration: Easily integrate the popular utility-first CSS framework, Tailwind CSS, with built-in support for Dark Mode.
• SEO Features: Automatic sitemap generation and easy implementation of Open Graph tags help improve visibility on search engines and social media.
• Strong Community & Integrations: Astro has a vibrant community and a growing number of official and community integrations.

Conclusion

Astro provided the perfect blend of raw performance, exceptional content authoring capabilities, and a modern developer experience. Its focus on shipping less JavaScript by default, combined with its powerful Markdown/MDX support and features like image optimization and SEO tooling, made it the ideal choice for building the Datumology website. We’re excited about the foundation Astro provides as we continue to share insights into the world of Edge Data and Lean AI.