Why I Switched from WordPress to Astro
After many years using WordPress as the web content management system (WCMS) to build and manage my personal website, I recently transitioned to Astro which is a JavaScript web framework for building fast, content-driven websites.
Why Switch to Astro
Performance and Speed
WordPress relies on server-side rendering. Every page request requires the server to execute PHP code and query an underlying database in order to generate the requested resource. This is excessive for a small website with infrequent content updates and limited dynamic content. While there are many server- and plugin-based options to cache generated resources, those caching mechanisms add another layer of complexity and maintenance overhead that is largely unnecessary for small websites.
Astro, on the other hand, is a static site generator (SSG) leveraging modern build tools to generate static sites with dynamic capabilities. This approach drastically reduces load times and improves site performance because there is no server-side code execution or database queries. For a small website, the build process takes only a few seconds and results in static HTML files as well as optimized images ready for deployment to a simple static web host. There are many options available for free or low cost static site hosting such as Cloudflare Pages.
Flexibility and Customization
WordPress offers a wide variety of community developed plugins and themes. However, enabling multiple plugins for each website customization leads to bloated code and potential security risks. Obviously, a developer has the option to build custom plugins and themes to avoid installing potentially untrustworthy code but that requires additional time and effort.
Astro’s flexibility allows developers to choose exactly which JavaScript frameworks and libraries to import, if any, and tailor them to satisfy the project’s requirements. While the developer can still introduce bloated code and security risks, this granular control enables a developer to make those decisions. By default, Astro does not introduce any JavaScript on its own.
Scalability and Maintenance
Compatibility checks, website health checks, frequent updates and security patches to core WordPress, plugins, themes and the underlying software stack are a way of life with WordPress. The maintenance overhead increases as more plugins are installed. Static site generators simplify deployment and hosting requirements since static sites, e.g., plain HTML and CSS files, are scalable with minimal ongoing maintenance.
SEO and Accessibility
It has been my experience, generally, that SEO related constructs are not included in core WordPress functionality. More plugins are needed to generate sitemaps, configure meta descriptions and indexing controls, add Open Graph and other social metadata, etc. The same applies to accessibility as well. If a theme author does not focus on accessibility upfront, then it becomes difficult for downstream developers to include it later without significant customization.
With static sites generated by Astro, adding sitemaps and SEO related meta data is straightforward as the developer simply includes the appropriate elements in the layout. Additionally, Astro’s focus on accessibility standards enables developers to ensure websites follow best practices while expanding inclusivity by expanding usability across many device types.
Reasons Against Switching to Astro
Usability
Usability is not a selling point for Astro. For content authoring, WordPress has a fantastic user experience through its Gutenberg editor and all of the available pre-defined blocks. This is especially true for individuals who do not have any prior coding experience (even basic HTML authoring). Transitioning to Astro is a tough sell for anyone who isn’t comfortable working in HTML, CSS, and JSX. As a programmer, developing in the Astro framework came naturally and I was able to quickly get started. For a non-programmer or an individual who only uses the WordPress editor, I think there is a steep learning curve to move to Astro.
Summary
Switching from WordPress to Astro represents improved performance, enhanced flexibility, and better scalability at a reduced cost and with lower overhead. While WordPress remains a popular and powerful tool for certain requirements, Astro and, more broadly, static site generators align more closely with my current web content management needs. I’m not abandoning WordPress completely as it remains the right tool for other projects and I will continue developing on that platform. However, Astro is another tool to add to the toolbox. As always, select the right tool for the task.