Eleventy (11ty)
Zero-config JS-based SSG. Templates only, no client-side JS framework.
VISIT ELEVENTY (11TY)Key takeaway: Choose Eleventy when the output you want is HTML and the team has decided, deliberately, that a UI framework is not welcome in the build. It beats Astro on simplicity for the first few hundred pages and loses to it on components, images, and very large catalogues. Against Hugo, the trade is friendlier templating and JavaScript familiarity versus raw build speed.
Quick facts
- LanguageJavaScript
- CategoryJS / TS plain
- LicenseMIT
- Created2018
- GitHub stars18.2k
- Statusactive
Templating: Liquid Nunjucks EJS Markdown Handlebars WebC Pug
What it is
Eleventy is the JS-based generator that does not impose a framework. You write templates (Liquid, Nunjucks, EJS, Markdown, WebC) and Eleventy generates HTML. Zero client-side JS unless you add it. The closest thing to Jekyll in spirit, but in JavaScript.
Best for
- Personal blogs and small content sites
- Sites where the team explicitly does not want a UI framework
- Replacing Jekyll while staying in the JS ecosystem
- Speedy builds on small to medium catalogues
When not to pick it
Skip Eleventy at 50k+ pages where Astro's Content Layer becomes cheaper. Skip it if you need component-shaped UI; the WebC story exists but the ergonomics lag Astro.
My take
Eleventy is what I recommend when someone wants to write less JavaScript, not more. For pure content sites it can be a faster path than Astro for the first few hundred pages.
The data cascade and pagination do the heavy lifting
Eleventy's two genuinely strong ideas are the data cascade and pagination. The cascade merges global data files, directory-level data, front matter, and computed data into one object per template with predictable precedence, which sounds bureaucratic until you have a site where section defaults, per-page overrides, and derived values all need to coexist without conditionals scattered through every template. Pagination is the other one: point it at any array or object, set a size, and Eleventy generates a route per item or per chunk. That single primitive is how you build programmatic pages, tag archives, and directory listings without reaching for a plugin. Combined with the ability to mix Nunjucks, Liquid, Markdown, and JavaScript templates in one project, it gives you a lot of expressive power for a tool with almost no runtime concepts to learn.
Where you feel the missing pieces
Eleventy deliberately ships less than Astro, and you notice in three places. There is no component model with props and scoped styles of the kind most teams now find natural; WebC exists and works, but the ergonomics lag and the community around it is thin. Images are a plugin you configure yourself rather than a built-in pipeline, so the responsive-image work Astro does silently becomes code you own and maintain. Asset bundling is entirely bring-your-own, which means Tailwind, TypeScript, and anything Vite-shaped is a separate concern to wire up. Build performance is respectable but falls behind Hugo well before large catalogues, and past a few tens of thousands of pages Astro's content layer becomes the cheaper place to be. None of this is a flaw so much as the consequence of a real design decision, but price it in.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleventy faster than Astro?
For small and mid-sized sites, usually yes, because Eleventy does less: no component compilation, no bundler, no image processing unless you add it. The gap closes as sites grow and reverses once you need the features Astro includes, since you end up adding plugins that do the same work. Hugo beats both on raw build speed.
Eleventy or Hugo?
Eleventy if your team writes JavaScript and wants to configure the build in a language they already know. Hugo if build speed at large scale is the constraint, or you want a single binary with no Node in the pipeline. Eleventy's templating is friendlier; Hugo's performance and built-in features are stronger.
Can I use React with Eleventy?
You can render React to HTML through a custom template extension, but you are working against the grain and giving up the reason Eleventy exists. If component-based UI is a requirement, Astro handles it properly with island hydration and saves you the plumbing. Eleventy is at its best when the answer to client JavaScript is almost none.
Links
Compare Eleventy (11ty) side-by-side
Similar tools you should also consider
Astro
Multi-framework, content-first, ships zero JS by default. The default for SEO-heavy sites.
Read the take →Jekyll
The original SSG. Liquid templates, Ruby, Markdown. GitHub Pages' backbone.
Read the take →Hugo
The fastest SSG, full stop. Go binary, single-file install, builds 10k pages in seconds.
Read the take →If Eleventy (11ty) is your pick, the next conversation is short
The 30-min call is where your project gets a real architecture, an SEO transport plan, and a price range you can take to your team. Describe your site, your timeline, your existing content. I tell you whether Eleventy (11ty) is genuinely the right call for you, and what the build actually looks like.