Bridgetown

> The modern successor to Jekyll, built for 2025.

**Bridgetown** is a **Ruby-powered static site generator and fullstack web framework**, designed to bridge (hence the name) the gap between: * Static & dynamic sites * JAMstack & traditional webdev * Frontend & backend dev * Ruby & JavaScript ecosystems It’s written in Ruby, built on top of familiar tools like **Roda**, **ERB**, **ViewComponent**, and **Webpack (or esbuild)** — but adds a layer of modern elegance and flexibility.

# Key Features

1. **Static Site Generator (SSG) + Dynamic Routes** * Like Jekyll, it compiles Markdown and templates into static HTML. * But it also supports **dynamic routes**, like a mini Rails or Next.js: ```ruby route "/api/posts" do json data[:posts] end ```

2. **Component-Based UI with ViewComponent** * Build reusable HTML components with Ruby using [ViewComponent](https://viewcomponent.org/), just like in Rails. ```ruby class CalloutComponent < Bridgetown::Component def template <<~HTML <div class="callout">#{content}</div> HTML end end ```

3. **Built-In API Routes (Edge Functions Style)** * You can build **serverless-style API endpoints** right in your project — useful for forms, auth, or light backends.

4. **Hotwire + Stimulus + Turbo** * Native support for Hotwire tools. * Enables reactive interactivity with **zero or minimal custom JS**.

5. **Data Layer + Collections** * Easy to work with YAML, JSON, CSV, or CMS-sourced data (via plugins). * Ideal for blogs, portfolios, ecommerce, docs, etc.

6. **Modern Build Pipeline** * Supports both Webpack and esbuild for JS, CSS, and asset bundling. * You can use Tailwind, PostCSS, Vue/React, or plain JS.

# Use Cases Bridgetown is ideal for: | Use Case | Why Bridgetown Works | | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | | Tech blogs | Markdown + components + fast builds | | Documentation sites | Static + searchable + themed | | Indie SaaS landing pages | Modern JS + Hotwire + deploy anywhere | | Prototypes and dashboards | API endpoints + dynamic rendering | | Personal websites | Easy customization, deploy to Netlify/Fly/etc |

# Deployment You can deploy Bridgetown sites to: * **Netlify**, **Vercel**, **Render**, **Fly.io** * Or as a **Rack app** via `bridgetown start` (e.g. on Heroku or a VPS) * Serverless-friendly, and can even export a fully static version

# Philosophy Bridgetown is: * ✨ **Ruby-first**, but JavaScript-friendly * ⚡️ Performance-conscious * 🛠 Dev ergonomics-focused * ❤️ Community-oriented and well-documented It feels like what you wish **Jekyll** had evolved into: modern, extendable, fullstack-capable, and **fun**.

# Notable Features * `bridgetown-seo-tag` (SEO) * `bridgetown-feed` (RSS) * `bridgetown-builder` (component generator) * CMS integrations (e.g., Sanity, Contentful, Airtable) * Deploy-to-static or run as a hybrid server

# TL;DR: > **Bridgetown** is a modern Ruby web framework that combines the best parts of static site generation, component-based design, and Hotwire interactivity. Think of it as the Rubyist’s answer to Next.js, Astro, or Eleventy — but with **actual Ruby** and not a JavaScript overload.