Astro.

Hi there intrepid reader type person, and what is more intrepid than an astronaut!? What indeed. So I thought I’d wax lyrical about my favourite of the web based javascript frameworks: Astro js. For those of you who aren’t that interested in this type of thing I’ll try to zhuzh it up, (I had to look up the spelling of that too), with the usual lashings of complete hogwash! Are you in? I hope so!

As a web developer (That’s what I am don’t you know?), I’m always looking for the best way to deliver fast, stylish websites that provide a great user experience while also not being too gruelling on the development side. There I was but months ago (some people actually talk like this, thespians usually), struggling with the veritable porridge that is REACT (Another javascript coding framework), when quite suddenly I stumbled upon Astro. It was love at first, erm, code? Here’s a few reasons why I favor this cutting edge framework above all others:

• Whooosh! - What’s that ? Yeah that’s right it already happened! What? EVERYTHING! Astro renders pages at build time instead of runtime (That’s when a user makes a request, rather than after), allowing sites to load incredibly fast. Pages render quicker than a greased eel, while still providing dynamic capabilities for things like API calls and flashy javascript bobbles.

• Hey Astro do you do Pilates? - Because you’re so flexible! (I know, but you try and make this sound interesting). Unlike many opinionated frameworks, Astro lets me build sites using React, Vue, Svelte, or vanilla JS (which is my choice as too many frameworks spoil the… broth?). This means that I can choose the best tool for each part of my project, and am not forced into using just one framework, enabling all manner of different functionalities, like a swiss army knife or one of those pens with lots of different coloured inks and the slidy bits with the springs? You know the one’s I mean? Of course you do.

• I’m over here! - Improved Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) so Google and their ilk can find you as easily as if you were a flaming fluorescent flamingo in a pond full of dull damp ducks. Since Astro generates static HTML pages at build time, my sites have all the SEO benefits of traditional static sites (namely speed and security among others) meaning that your site will be irrisistable to those Google flamingo hunters.

• And I like it. Yeah what of it? I like using it, from a developer point of view it just makes sense, instead of learning a whole new coding language (Again) I can use all of my prior knowledge of HTML and CSS without too much fuss, plus if I want to add bells and whistles I can add javascript or typescript as and when I need it. Which is nice.

So in conclusion it’s great and I’m going to use it, if you are a developer you should use it too and if you are not then please let me use it because I likes it I do. I think that about sums it up for this week, I hope some of you found this helpful, cheery pip and go Astro! Yay!