What is Astro used for?

Astro is a JavaScript web framework optimized for building fast, content-driven websites. It is a good fit for marketing sites, blogs and e-commerce websites.

Is Astro open source?

Yes. Astro is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at withastro/astro and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Astro is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host Astro?

Yes. Astro can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Astro an alternative to?

Astro is an open-source alternative to Hashnode, Readymag and Notion Mail. Other open-source alternatives to Hashnode include Hugo, Jekyllrb and Hexo.

Is Astro actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Astro was on 14 October 2026. The project has 63k stars on GitHub.

Astro: open-source alternative to Hashnode, Readymag

About Astro

Astro is a JavaScript web framework optimized for building fast, content-driven websites. It improves website performance by rendering components on the server, sending lightweight HTML to the browser with zero unnecessary JavaScript overhead.

Astro was designed to work with content from the file system, external API, or a CMS. It supports every major UI framework and can be extended with themes, integrations, and other tools.

Key features

Server-first rendering that sends lightweight HTML to the browser
Content-driven design that works with file system, APIs, or CMS
Customizable with JavaScript UI components, CSS libraries, themes, and integrations
Astro Islands optimize page load performance to improve conversion rates, Core Web Vitals, and SEO
Supports every major UI framework with zero lock-in

Good fit for

Marketing sites
Blogs
E-commerce websites

Built with: TypeScript tools
Tags: javascript; web framework; content-driven; server-first; static site; islands architecture

Astro: questions and answers

What is Astro used for?: Astro is a JavaScript web framework optimized for building fast, content-driven websites. It is a good fit for marketing sites, blogs and e-commerce websites.
Is Astro open source?: Yes. Astro is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at withastro/astro and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Astro free?: Yes. Astro is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host Astro?: Yes. Astro can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Astro an alternative to?: Astro is an open-source alternative to Hashnode, Readymag and Notion Mail. Other open-source alternatives to Hashnode include Hugo, Jekyllrb and Hexo.
Is Astro actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Astro was on 14 October 2026. The project has 63k stars on GitHub.