How to build website with Gatsby Js

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Installing Gatsby

Global Installation of Gatsby CLI

To start, you need to install the Gatsby CLI globally on your machine. This can be done using npm:

npm install -g gatsby-cli

Creating a New Gatsby Project

After installing the Gatsby CLI, you can create a new Gatsby project using the gatsby new command. You can either use a starter template or start from scratch.

gatsby new my-gatsby-site https://github.com/gatsbyjs/gatsby-starter-default

If you prefer not to use a starter, you can omit the URL:

gatsby new my-gatsby-site

Follow the interactive prompts to set up your project, choosing options such as the name of your site, the folder location, whether to use JavaScript or TypeScript, and any additional plugins you might need.

Project Structure and Configuration

File Structure

Your Gatsby project will have several key files and directories:

• gatsby-config.js: This file is where you configure your site's metadata, plugins, and other settings.
• gatsby-node.js: This file is used for customizing the build process, such as creating dynamic pages.
• gatsby-browser.js and gatsby-ssr.js: These files are used for browser and server-side rendering customizations, respectively.

Configuring Plugins

Plugins are essential for extending Gatsby's functionality. Common plugins include gatsby-plugin-image, gatsby-plugin-manifest, and gatsby-plugin-mdx. You can add these plugins in your gatsby-config.js file:

module.exports = {
  siteMetadata: {
    title: 'My Gatsby Site',
    description: 'A site built with Gatsby',
  },
  plugins: [
    'gatsby-plugin-react-helmet',
    'gatsby-plugin-image',
    'gatsby-plugin-manifest',
    'gatsby-plugin-mdx',
  ],
};

Building Your Site

Development Mode

To start developing your site, navigate to your project directory and run:

cd my-gatsby-site
gatsby develop

This command starts the development server, allowing you to see your site in action and make live changes.

Building for Production

When you are ready to deploy your site, you need to build it for production using the gatsby build command. This command creates a production-ready version of your site with optimizations such as server-side rendering (SSR), code splitting, and minification.

gatsby build

The output of the build process will be placed in the public folder at the root of your site. This folder contains all the static files needed to deploy your site.

Deploying Your Site

Using Netlify

One popular way to deploy a Gatsby site is using Netlify. Here’s a high-level overview of the process:

1. Push Your Changes to GitHub: Push your code changes to a GitHub repository.
2. Set Up Netlify: Connect your GitHub repository to Netlify. Netlify will watch for changes in your repository.
3. Netlify Builds and Hosts: When Netlify detects changes, it builds your site from your code and hosts the finished version at a unique URL.

Additional Steps and Best Practices

Setting Up Linting and Formatting

It's a good practice to set up linting and formatting tools like ESLint and Prettier to maintain code quality and consistency.

Adding Styling and Fonts

You can add styling using CSS-in-JS solutions like Emotion or Tailwind CSS. Additionally, you can include fonts using modules like @fontsource.

SEO Optimization

Gatsby supports SEO optimization through server-side rendering and the use of components like gatsby-plugin-react-helmet to manage metadata in the HTML head.

Testing Your Build

After building your site, you can test the output by running:

gatsby serve

This command starts a server that serves the static files from the public folder, allowing you to test your site as it would be deployed.

By following these steps, you can create, build, and deploy a high-performance website using Gatsby.js.

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