Lumen is a minimal, lightweight, mobile-first Gatsby v2 starter template for creating static blogs, maintained by GatsbyCentral as a fork of Alexander Shelepenok's gatsby-starter-lumen.
What is Lumen?
Lumen is an open-source Gatsby v2 blog starter that takes Markdown content (sample posts and pages included) and builds a static blog with RSS, sitemap, offline support, and syntax-highlighted code blocks. It ships with a folder structure under src that separates assets, components, layouts, pages, and templates, and is licensed under MIT. The project is maintained by the GatsbyCentral team and currently has 118 stars on GitHub.
Key Features
- Lost Grid — Uses the Lost Grid postprocessor for a flexbox-based grid system in the stylesheet.
- Gutenberg-inspired typography — Implements beautiful typography based on matejlatin/Gutenberg.
- Mobile-first SASS with BEM naming — Styles are written in SASS using the BEM naming convention, developed with a mobile-first approach.
- Syntax highlighting — Code blocks in blog posts get syntax highlighting.
- Sidebar menu via configuration — The sidebar menu is built using a configuration block, so you can control navigation without editing component code.
- Tag and category archives — Posts are automatically organized into archives by tags and categories.
- Automatic RSS and sitemap — RSS feed and sitemap.xml are generated automatically during build.
- Offline support — The blog has offline functionality through Gatsby offline support.
- Google Analytics and Disqus — Integrates Google Analytics for tracking and Disqus for comments.
Who is it for?
- Bloggers who want a minimal blog with a focus on typography.
- Gatsby developers looking for a clean starter to customize into a portfolio or content site.
- Writers who want offline reading and a built-in RSS/sitemap setup.
- Developers who prefer SASS and BEM organization and appreciate a mobile-first design.
What can you do with Lumen?
- Personal blog: Publish Markdown posts; the starter comes with five sample articles and two pages (About, Contact).
- Portfolio or documentation: Adapt the blog layout for portfolio pieces or documentation pages, using the sidebar menu and archive features.
- Static site with comments and analytics: Add Disqus and Google Analytics through configuration to engage readers and track traffic.
- One-click Netlify deployment: Use the Deploy to Netlify button to create a GitHub repository and automatically build and deploy the site, then set up Netlify Identity for CMS login.
How does Lumen work?
To use Lumen, run from your CLI: gatsby new lumen https://github.com/GatsbyCentral/gatsby-v2-starter-lumen. Then run gatsby develop for local development or gatsby build to produce static files. For deployment, the README provides a Netlify button that creates a repository, builds, and deploys automatically.
Pricing
Lumen is free and open source under the MIT license. No paid tiers or subscriptions are involved.
FAQ
Is Lumen free?
Yes, Lumen is released under the MIT license, so it is free to use, modify, and distribute, including for commercial projects.
What Gatsby version does Lumen use?
Lumen is specifically a Gatsby v2 starter, updated by GatsbyCentral for Gatsby v2 compatibility.
Does Lumen support Disqus comments?
Yes, Disqus comments support is listed as a feature, and there is a Disqus component in the src/components directory.
Can I deploy Lumen to Netlify?
Yes, the README includes a Deploy to Netlify button that sets up a new repository, builds the site, and deploys it. You'll need to configure Netlify Identity for CMS user access.
What content format does Lumen use?
Lumen uses Markdown files for posts and pages, as seen in the sample content under src/pages/articles and src/pages/pages.
