Eleventy

Eleventy is the static site generator for people who think Gatsby was a mistake. Zero client-side JavaScript by default. No framework lock-in — use Nunjucks, Markdown, Liquid, whatever templating you want. Your pages are just HTML, and they load instantly.

Hugo is faster at build time (Go vs Node) but has a steeper learning curve with its templating. Astro is the modern competitor that ships zero JS by default but adds framework components when you want them. Next.js is overkill if you just need a blog or docs site. Jekyll still exists for the Ruby nostalgic.

Use Eleventy if you want a personal site, blog, or documentation that's fast, accessible, and doesn't require a React PhD. The data cascade is powerful once you learn it, and build times are fast for sites under 10K pages.

The catch: Eleventy gives you freedom, which means decisions. No default theme, no prescribed structure, no UI components. You're building from scratch. If you want a polished site quickly, Astro with a template will get you there faster.