Gatsby Ghost Balsa Starter

gatsby-ghost-balsa-starter is a Gatsby starter that transforms a headless Ghost CMS blog into a fast static website using the Draftbox Balsa skin, replacing the default Ghost Handlebars front-end.

What is gatsby-ghost-balsa-starter?

This starter connects a Ghost CMS Content API to a Gatsby site, producing a static front-end that is secure and highly performant. Developed by Draftbox and released under the MIT license, it includes the Balsa skin, a responsive design, and built-in SEO features. The input is your Ghost CMS content; the output is a fully static website in the public folder after running gatsby build.

Key Features

• Balsa Skin — A responsive, modern skin from Draftbox that replaces the default Ghost Handlebars theme.
• Gatsby Images — Optimized, responsive images through Gatsby's image processing.
• SEO Optimized — Includes meta tags configuration and a sitemap for better search visibility.
• AMP Pages — Automatically generates Accelerated Mobile Pages for every post.
• RSS Feed & Sitemap — Provides an RSS feed and XML sitemap for content distribution.
• Analytics & Comments — Built-in integrations for Google Analytics, Segment, and Disqus.
• Contact & Subscribe Forms — Ready-to-use forms to capture reader engagement.
• Composable & Extensible — Easily customize components and add new features.

Who is it for?

• Developers who want to build a fast, secure blog front-end for Ghost without diving into Handlebars theming.
• Bloggers who need a static site with excellent performance and SEO out of the box.
• Agencies that build client blogs and require a customizable starter with analytics and commenting capabilities.

What can you do with it?

• Content creators can write posts in the Ghost admin panel and have them appear on the static site automatically via the Content API.
• Site owners can add contact forms, subscribe forms, and social sharing buttons to grow their audience.
• Marketers can track visitor behavior with Google Analytics and Segment, and manage discussions through Disqus.

How does it work?

1. Install the starter using gatsby new with the repository URL.
2. Edit siteConfig.js to set your site URL, title, and description.
3. Add your Ghost Content API keys in the .ghost.json file.
4. Run gatsby develop for local preview, then gatsby build to generate the static site.

FAQ

Is gatsby-ghost-balsa-starter free?

Yes, it is released under the MIT license, so you can use it for free in personal and commercial projects.

How do I connect my own Ghost CMS?

Open the .ghost.json file and replace the default apiUrl and contentApiKey values with your own Ghost CMS content API credentials. Without customization, the starter pulls demo content from a default demo location.

Does it support AMP pages?

Yes, the starter includes AMP page generation, giving your articles faster loading on mobile devices.

Can I customize the Balsa skin?

Yes, the starter is composable and extensible, so you can modify components and styles. You can also change site metadata through siteConfig.js.