Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes

Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes is a basic starter package for GatsbyJS that scaffolds a Gatsby v2 site with Emotion CSS-in-JS, Jest testing, ESLint, a pre-configured blog, and JSON data files.

What is Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes?

Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes is an open-source starter template for building static sites with GatsbyJS. It takes a Google Analytics tracking ID and blog posts as input and produces a compiled static website with a pre-configured development toolchain. The starter runs on Gatsby v2 and was created by saschajullmann to avoid repeating common setup steps when starting new Gatsby projects. A live preview is available at https://themes.gatsbythemes.com/gatsby-starter/.

Key Features

• Gatsby v2 support — The starter is explicitly updated for Gatsby v2, so you get the latest architecture and performance benefits.
• CSS-in-JS via Emotion — Emotion is integrated for styling React components directly in JavaScript.
• Jest testing setup — Jest and react-test-renderer are configured according to Gatsby's unit testing documentation, so tests run out of the box.
• ESLint with Airbnb config — ESLint runs in dev mode with the Airbnb style guide and Prettier formatting rules to enforce code quality.
• Basic blog with post.sh script — Blog posts live under src/pages/blog, and the included post.sh script creates new entries quickly.
• JSON data files — Content and site data are stored in JSON files, giving a simple, CMS-free data layer.
• Layout components with Styled-System — Navigation, Footer, and Layout components are built using Styled-System for responsive, constraint-based styling.
• Google Analytics integration — Add your tracking ID once and analytics is wired into the site.

Who is it for?

Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes is for developers who want a ready-made Gatsby setup without configuring tooling from scratch. It suits hobbyists building personal blogs, frontend developers prototyping new ideas, and teams that prefer JSON files over a CMS for content. Anyone starting a Gatsby v2 project who wants a clean baseline will find it useful.

What can you do with it?

• New project scaffolds: Use gatsby new my-project https://github.com/saschajullmann/gatsby-starter-gatsbythemes to generate a fully configured Gatsby site in one command.
• Blog publishing: Run the post.sh script to create a new blog post under src/pages/blog, then write content in the familiar Gatsby page structure.
• Custom styling: Style components with Emotion and Styled-System, and use the included Feather icons and Tachyons font styles for a polished UI.
• Analytics tracking: Insert your Google Analytics tracking ID to start collecting visitor data immediately.

How does it work?

To use the starter, install the Gatsby CLI if you haven't already, then run gatsby new my-project https://github.com/saschajullmann/gatsby-starter-gatsbythemes to clone the template into a new directory. After that, you can start the dev server with gatsby develop and begin editing site data, blog posts, and components.

Pricing

Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes is free and open source, published on GitHub for anyone to use and modify.

Alternatives

Gatsby's official starters, such as gatsby-starter-blog for blogging and gatsby-starter-default for a basic setup, are similar options. Other community starters exist for specific use cases like Netlify CMS integration.

FAQ

Is Gatsby Starter Gatsbythemes free?

Yes, it is an open-source starter on GitHub with no license restrictions mentioned in the README, so it can be used freely for personal and commercial projects. The repository is public and there is no stated cost or proprietary license, so you can adapt it to your own projects without payment.

What Gatsby version does it support?

The README explicitly states it is updated for Gatsby v2, so it targets Gatsby v2 projects. The starter includes configuration and dependencies compatible with that version. If you need a Gatsby v1 starter, you would need to use an older template or adapt this one.

How do I create a new blog post?

Blog posts are stored under src/pages/blog. The starter includes a post.sh script that generates a new blog entry skeleton, which you can then edit with your content. This script saves you from manually copying a previous post and adjusting frontmatter.

Does it include Google Analytics?

Yes, Google Analytics is included. You only need to enter your tracking ID in the appropriate configuration file and analytics will be wired into the site. The starter handles the snippet injection for you, so you can start collecting data without writing custom code.

How do I start a new project with this starter?

Install the Gatsby CLI globally, then run gatsby new my-project https://github.com/saschajullmann/gatsby-starter-gatsbythemes. The command clones the repository and installs dependencies automatically, giving you a working site ready for development.