How to Build a Website with a CMS and Astro
IntermediateQuick Answer
TL;DR
To build a website with a CMS and Astro, set up a headless CMS, scaffold an Astro project, install the CMS SDK, fetch content in Astro component frontmatter (the `---` block), and render with Astro's HTML-first component syntax. Astro ships zero JavaScript by default, making it ideal for CMS-driven content sites where performance is critical.
Key Takeaways
- Astro frontmatter runs at build time (SSG) or request time (SSR) — CMS fetches happen server-side, never in the browser
- Astro's Content Collections can type-check CMS data at build time using Zod schemas
- Island Architecture lets you add interactive React/Vue/Svelte components only where needed, keeping the rest static