Unlock the Power of Gridsome: A Fast, Performant, and Accessible Static Site Generator

Gridsome is a revolutionary static site generator that allows developers to build fast, performant, accessible, and search engine optimized websites and apps by default. As a framework built on top of Vue.js, Gridsome leverages the power of GraphQL as a data layer to query resources imported from various data sources.

The PRPL Pattern: A Key to Performance

Gridsome uses the PRPL architectural pattern to improve website performance. This pattern involves:

• Preloading the most important resources

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• Pre-caching remaining assets
• Lazy loading other routes and non-critical assets

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This approach is ideal for serving Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).

JAMstack: The Future of Web Development

Gridsome is built on the JAMstack workflow, which prioritizes delivering:

• Better performance
• Higher security
• Lower costs
• Scalability
• A better developer experience

JAMstack is a collection of best practices, architectural patterns, and workflows that result in high-speed websites and apps.

Getting Started with Gridsome

To set up a Gridsome project, you’ll need:

• Node.js 10x or higher
• Yarn or npm 5.2 or higher
• Basic knowledge of JavaScript and Vue.js
• Knowledge of GraphQL (optional)

First, install the Gridsome CLI tool using Yarn:

yarn global add @gridsome/cli

Then, create a new project using the create command:

gridsome create my-gridsome-project

Understanding the Gridsome Directory Structure

The Gridsome starter project includes several key files and folders, including:

• package.json
• gridsome.config.js
• gridsome.server.js
• /src
• /static

These files and folders contain essential configurations, code, and assets for your project.

From JavaScript to TypeScript

To use TypeScript in your Gridsome project, you’ll need to:

1. Install TypeScript: 

   yarn add typescript

2. Install the TypeScript loader for webpack: 

   yarn add ts-loader

3. Install the gridsome-typescript-plugin: 

   yarn add gridsome-typescript-plugin

4. Register the plugin in your gridsome.config.js file: 

   module.exports = {
     plugins: [
       {
         use: '@gridsome/typescript-plugin',
       },
     ],
   };

5. Create a tsconfig.json file to configure TypeScript settings: 

   {
     "compilerOptions": {
       "outDir": "dist",
       "sourceMap": true,
       "noImplicitAny": true,
       "moduleResolution": "node",
       "esModuleInterop": true,
       "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true
     }
   }

You can also use the gridsome-typescript starter to bootstrap your Gridsome project. This starter is pre-configured to use TypeScript and includes ESLint to enforce code practices and report errors.

Learn more about Gridsome by visiting their official documentation.