I'm tasked with creating a website for a small business on a tight deadline. I need to build a straightforward static multi-page site, resembling a blog but with a more modern aesthetic. It won't be overly complex, just text, images, links, and possibly some videos from other platforms. I'm relatively new to frontend development, knowing just the basics: HTML for layout, CSS for styling, and JS for interactive elements. I've got a domain set up, and I'll be hosting the site on GitHub Pages. After doing some research, it seems like static site generators (SSGs) are the way to go, and 11ty stands out as both popular and user-friendly. However, I'm unsure about the best frontend framework to use with it for styling. I've heard Bootstrap is quite popular and modular. Based on your experiences, is this a solid combination? Apologies if I'm missing something important!
5 Answers
If you're considering GitHub Pages, it's definitely possible to just use that without an SSG. However, if you feel you really need one, Astro is a popular choice these days that you might want to explore.
I'd recommend checking out CodeStitch's starter kit. It's a ready-to-go GitHub repo that contains your main pages with just HTML, CSS, and a bit of JS for mobile nav. Plus, they've got loads of free components you can easily customize. You can find it here: https://github.com/CodeStitchOfficial/Intermediate-Website-Kit-LESS.
Honestly, I'd avoid using Bootstrap in 2025. Depending on what you're aiming for, have a look at Pico.css or similar options. They offer a good set of HTML-first components that can be a better fit. I really like 11ty too, but I would suggest looking into Astro as a starter; its content-first approach is quite appealing.
Using 11ty with Bootstrap should work well for getting a minimum viable product (MVP) up and running quickly. If you end up needing more functionality later on, you can switch to another framework without too much hassle.
I found 11ty to be a bit complex for newer projects. The authors have done a good job modernizing it, but it can lead to complicated debugging. If you haven't checked it out yet, Astro could be a great option. You can choose your template engine and work a lot faster without the added complication that 11ty might introduce.
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