Astro vs Eleventy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Eleventy
Simpler static site generator for fast websites
| Feature | Astro | Eleventy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 62,777 | ★ 19,929 |
| First released | 2021 | 2018 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Medium |
What are Astro and Eleventy?
Astro
Astro is an open-source web framework for building fast, content-focused websites and blogs. It ships zero JavaScript by default and supports components from React, Vue, Svelte, and more.
- Zero JavaScript by default
- Use any UI framework
- Content collections for blogs
- Fast static output
Eleventy
Eleventy is a flexible open-source static site generator written in JavaScript that works with many templating languages. It is popular for blogs and documentation due to its simplicity and speed.
- Supports many template languages
- Fast incremental builds
- Zero client-side JavaScript by default
- Flexible data cascade
Astro vs Eleventy: key differences
Astro is written in TypeScript, while Eleventy is built with JavaScript. Eleventy is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Astro. Eleventy is the more established project (first released 2018), while Astro arrived in 2021. Astro has the considerably larger community, at 62,777 GitHub stars versus 19,929.
Why pick each one
Choose Astro if…
- Excellent performance
- Flexible component model
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Eleventy if…
- Very flexible templating
- Lean output
Watch out for
- No built-in admin
- Requires Node tooling
Frequently asked questions
Is Astro or Eleventy better?
Neither is universally better. Astro has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Astro and Eleventy free and open-source?
Yes. Astro is licensed under MIT and Eleventy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Astro and Eleventy with Docker?
Astro: check the project docs for container support. Eleventy: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Astro or Eleventy?
Eleventy has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Astro. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.