Gatsby Starter Casual is a Gatsby.js V4 starter template that scaffolds a static single-page website using the Bootstrap 4-based Casual theme from Start Bootstrap, ready to deploy on GitHub Pages.
What is Gatsby Starter Casual?
Gatsby Starter Casual is an open-source Gatsby.js V4 starter template that creates a static website based on the Casual theme by Start Bootstrap. It takes a configuration file (config.js) as input and outputs a fully built Gatsby site that can be developed locally and deployed to GitHub Pages. The starter was published by Anubhav Srivastava and is distributed under the MIT license.
Key Features
- Gatsby.js V4 foundation — The starter is built on Gatsby version 4, giving you access to Gatsby's build optimizations, plugin ecosystem, and React-based component model.
- Bootstrap 4 Casual theme — It imports the Casual design from Start Bootstrap, a Bootstrap 4-based template with a large background photo and clean content blocks.
- Centralized configuration — All site identity fields live in config.js, where you can set siteTitle, heading, and subHeading; changes apply globally to the generated pages.
- One-command GitHub Pages deployment — A deploy script in package.json uses the gh-pages package, so running npm run deploy publishes the site to GitHub Pages automatically.
- Path prefix support — A pathPrefix setting in the Gatsby config, pulled from config.js, lets you host the site under a subpath (like https://theanubhav.com/somePath/); remove it for a root domain.
- Gatsby CLI workflow — Create a new project with the Gatsby CLI by running gatsby new your-site-name repository-url, then run npm install and gatsby develop for local development with hot reloading.
Who is it for?
- Gatsby newcomers — The starter's minimal structure and config-file personalization make it a practical first project for learning how Gatsby builds pages and handles metadata.
- Small business owners and freelancers — Deploy a quick, professional-looking single-page site with a Bootstrap-based design and no backend or database.
- Developers who use GitHub Pages — Because the template includes a gh-pages deploy script, it suits anyone who wants a static site hosted on GitHub without configuring CI.
What can you do with Gatsby Starter Casual?
- Personalize the site — Edit the heading and subHeading fields in config.js to replace the default placeholder text with your own business name and tagline.
- Deploy a live site — Run npm run deploy to push the compiled site to GitHub Pages; no separate hosting account is required.
- Host under a subpath — Set pathPrefix in config.js and the deploy script will build and publish with the correct base URL for subpath hosting.
- Learn Gatsby workflows — Use the starter as a reference for how a typical Gatsby project is organized, including config.js, gatsby-config, and component assets.
How does Gatsby Starter Casual work?
The setup uses the Gatsby CLI to clone the starter into a new project directory. After running npm install to install dependencies, gatsby develop serves the site locally; when you are ready to publish, npm run deploy builds the site and pushes the public output to the gh-pages branch of a GitHub repository.
FAQ
Is Gatsby Starter Casual free?
Yes, it is open source and released under the MIT license, so you can use and modify it freely, including for commercial projects.
How do I install Gatsby Starter Casual?
Make sure you have the Gatsby CLI installed (npm install --global gatsby-cli), then run gatsby new your-site-name https://github.com/anubhavsrivastava/gatsby-starter-casual and follow with npm install and gatsby develop.
How do I change the site title and heading?
Open the config.js file at the project root and update the siteTitle, heading, and subHeading values. The starter reads these values when building the site, so your changes appear immediately in development.
Can I host this on my own domain?
Yes. The deploy script publishes to GitHub Pages; for a custom domain you can point your DNS and configure GitHub Pages accordingly. For a subpath, set pathPrefix in config.js; for a root domain, remove the pathPrefix configuration.
Does the starter include a blog or multiple pages?
No. It is a single-page starter based on the Casual theme, focused on a landing-style layout rather than blog or multi-page functionality.
