Requirements

• Write posts easily
• Host interactive experiments
• Fast loading (minimal JS)
• Simple deployment

Framework Comparison

Framework	React	Gatsby	Astro
Setup complexity	Simple	GraphQL required	New syntax
Blog features	DIY	Plugin ecosystem	Built-in
Base bundle	~150KB	~50KB	0KB
Interactive support	Full	Full	Islands

Key Observations

React: Over-engineering for static content. 150KB JavaScript for text display.

Gatsby: Heavy build times. GraphQL adds complexity for simple blogs.

Next.js: Feature-rich but opinionated. Complex deployment patterns.

Astro: Zero JS by default. Islands architecture enables selective interactivity.

Performance

Blog post (Astro): ~10KB
Blog post (React): ~160KB

Both support full React apps when needed via islands.

Architecture

/blog         → Static HTML, no JS
/experiments  → React islands
/projects     → Mixed approach

MDX enables React components only where they add value.

Notes

• Blog posts are documents, not applications
• Static content doesn’t need client-side frameworks
• Islands architecture: HTML for content, React for interaction
• Tool selection should match the primary use case