AXII is a Gatsby blog theme built with TypeScript that renders Markdown and MDX content into a static blog with Material UI styling, Algolia search, and light/dark mode out of the box.
What is Gatsby Theme Axii?
AXII is a blog theme for Gatsby, the React-based static site generator, distributed as the npm package @eshlox/gatsby-theme-axii. The theme takes Markdown or MDX files as content input and outputs a fully rendered static blog with responsive images, SEO metadata, an RSS feed, and an XML sitemap. It is created by eshlox and is used to run the site eshlox.net. The repository is organized as a monorepo using yarn workspaces and lerna, with the theme living in the packages/gatsby-theme-axii directory.
Key Features
- Markdown/MDX support — Write posts in Markdown or MDX, letting you embed React components directly in content.
- Material UI — The theme's UI components are built with Material UI (MUI), giving a consistent React-based design system.
- Code syntax highlighter — Code blocks in posts are highlighted for better readability.
- Responsive images — Images automatically scale to the viewer's screen and are optimized for performance.
- Algolia search — Full-text search powered by Algolia is integrated so visitors can find posts instantly.
- Light/Dark mode — Users can toggle between a light and a dark color scheme.
- SEO, RSS, and sitemap — Built-in metadata management generates search-engine tags, an RSS feed, and an XML sitemap.
- Third-party integrations — Sentry error tracking, Twitter and YouTube embeds, and web monetization support are available.
Who is it for?
Developers who want a Gatsby blog without building boilerplate will find the theme ready to configure. Bloggers who write in Markdown or MDX can publish a static site with search, SEO, and a responsive layout. Site owners who want a monorepo-based Gatsby setup can use this theme as a component package managed with lerna and yarn workspaces.
What can you do with it?
- Personal bloggers — Start a blog by adding Markdown files to a Gatsby site using the theme, then deploy it to Netlify; the demo site is hosted there.
- Technical writers — Use the code syntax highlighter and MDX support to create tutorials with live React components and embedded YouTube videos.
- Developers — Extend or customize the theme by accessing the source in the monorepo and rebuilding with
yarn workspace site develop. - Site owners — Add Algolia search to help readers find older posts, and offer light/dark mode for a comfortable reading experience.
FAQ
What is Gatsby Theme Axii?
Gatsby Theme Axii is a blog theme for Gatsby, built with TypeScript, that renders Markdown and MDX content into a static blog. It includes Material UI components, Algolia search, light/dark mode, SEO, RSS, sitemap, and integrations like Sentry, Twitter/YouTube embeds, and web monetization.
Is there a live demo?
Yes, the theme has two demo sites: a Netlify-hosted demo at https://gatsby-theme-axii.netlify.app and the author's personal site at https://eshlox.net.
Does the theme support search?
Yes, the theme integrates Algolia search, allowing visitors to search your published posts.
