Eleventy

Eleventy (11ty) has emerged as the developer’s choice for static site generation, earning passionate devotion from creators who value simplicity, performance, and the freedom to use any templating language without being locked into a specific framework or ecosystem. Created by Zach Leatherman, a Netlify engineer obsessed with web performance, Eleventy takes a radically different approach by betting on web standards over JavaScript frameworks, resulting in sites that are 10x smaller and faster than typical Gatsby or Next.js builds. This philosophy has attracted major adopters including Google’s web.dev, Mozilla’s MDN, and the U.S. Web Design System, who chose Eleventy for its zero-client-JavaScript default and sub-second build times even for sites with thousands of pages. With its unique approach of “use whatever templating language you already know” supporting 11 different engines out of the box, Eleventy eliminates the learning curve while delivering enterprise-grade features through its powerful data cascade and collection system. Whether you’re building a personal blog, a government website requiring accessibility compliance, or a high-traffic documentation portal, Eleventy provides the perfect balance of simplicity and power without the JavaScript fatigue plaguing modern web development.

Key Features

• 11 Template Languages - Write in HTML, Markdown, Liquid, Nunjucks, Handlebars, Mustache, EJS, Haml, Pug, JavaScript, or WebC with seamless mixing • Zero-Config Philosophy - Start building immediately without configuration files, webpack configs, or complex setups – just works out of the box • Data Cascade System - Layer data from multiple sources with intelligent merging from global data, directory data, front matter, and computed data • Powerful Collections - Group, sort, and filter content with tags, custom collections, and pagination that handles thousands of pages efficiently • Independent Builds - Each file builds independently enabling incremental builds and parallel processing for lightning-fast development • Plugin Architecture - Extend with official and community plugins for image optimization, syntax highlighting, RSS, and more without complexity • Shortcodes & Filters - Create reusable components and data transformations that work across all template languages consistently • Performance First - Ships zero client-side JavaScript by default with HTML-first output that scores 100/100 on Lighthouse

Pros and Cons

Pros: • Blazing fast builds even for huge sites • No framework lock-in or JavaScript fatigue • Incredible flexibility with template languages • Minimal dependencies and maintenance burden • Excellent documentation and helpful community

Cons: • Less ecosystem than React-based generators • No built-in component system like Astro • Requires more setup for modern JS features • Limited themes and starters available • Learning curve for data cascade concepts

Get Started with Eleventy

Join the movement toward simpler, faster static sites. Install with npm install -g @11ty/eleventy and build your first site in minutes. Visit 11ty.dev for exceptional documentation, tutorials, and the quick tips series. Join the friendly Discord community where Zach himself regularly helps developers. With Eleventy, you’re choosing sustainability, performance, and the freedom to build without framework churn.

How Eleventy Compares

While Gatsby offers a rich React ecosystem, it requires 200MB+ of dependencies versus Eleventy’s 30MB and forces JavaScript on every page. Unlike Hugo’s Go templates requiring new syntax learning, Eleventy lets you use familiar languages. Compared to Jekyll’s Ruby dependency and slow builds, Eleventy uses Node.js and builds 10x faster. Where Next.js focuses on full-stack applications, Eleventy specializes in static content with superior performance. Against newer tools like Astro adding complexity with partial hydration, Eleventy’s simplicity and maturity provide stability for long-term projects.