Ovidius is a free, open-source single-author blog theme for Astro.js, created by Just Good UI, that turns Markdown and MDX content into a fast, minimal, and SEO-ready static site.
What is Ovidius?
Ovidius is a single-author blog theme built for Astro.js and styled with Tailwind CSS. It takes Markdown or MDX post files from the src/content/blog collection and generates a complete blog website with a homepage, blog listing, and individual post pages. The theme runs on Astro v7 and requires Node.js 22.12 or newer; it is designed and maintained by Just Good UI, a studio that publishes several Astro themes.
Key Features
- Astro v7 and Tailwind CSS — The theme uses the
@tailwindcss/viteplugin for styling and requires a modern Node.js runtime; all styling is built on Tailwind's utility classes. - Featured post support — You can mark one post as featured to display it prominently on the homepage.
- SEO built in — Every page supports canonical URLs and OpenGraph data, and the theme includes sitemap generation via
@astrojs/sitemap. - RSS feed — The
@astrojs/rssintegration automatically generates an RSS feed for your blog. - Markdown and MDX — Posts can be authored in Markdown or MDX, and content collections with optional schema type-check the frontmatter.
- Optimized images — Using Astro's
Imagecomponent, images placed insrc/assetsare automatically optimized; theCustomImagecomponent picks the best rendering method. - Newsletter form — A subscription form with a custom action URL, configurable fields, and a honeypot for spam protection; works with Mailchimp, Formspree, ConvertKit, or similar form-based providers.
- One-click Netlify deploy — A Deploy to Netlify button creates a new repository from the theme and sets up deployment instantly.
Who is it for?
Ovidius is intended for individual writers and bloggers who want a no-nonsense, content-first design without visual clutter. It is also suitable for developers who want a customizable Astro starter they can adapt by editing one configuration file, and for anyone who wants built-in SEO, RSS, and sitemap without manual setup.
What can you do with Ovidius?
- Start a personal blog — Publish Markdown or MDX posts, choose a featured post, and get a clean static site with RSS and sitemap out of the box.
- Collect newsletter subscribers — Connect the included subscribe form to Mailchimp, Formspree, or ConvertKit and protect it with a hidden honeypot field.
- Deploy quickly — Use the Netlify one-click button, or run a standard Astro build and host the static output anywhere.
FAQ
Is Ovidius free?
Yes, Ovidius is open source under the GPL-3.0 license, so you can freely use it for personal or commercial projects, provided you keep the same license.
What version of Node.js do I need?
Astro v7 requires Node.js 22.12 or newer. Run node -v to check your local version, and ensure your hosting or CI environment also uses a compatible Node version.
How do I customize the site content and navigation?
All site-wide data is stored in src/data/site-config.ts. This file controls the site title, description, logo, hero section, navigation links, social links, newsletter settings, and pagination.
Which integrations does the theme include?
The theme ships with @astrojs/sitemap, @astrojs/mdx, @astrojs/rss, and @tailwindcss/vite. It also uses Astro's built-in Image component and content collections.
How do I set the production domain?
Set the site property in astro.config.mjs to your deployed domain, which is required for correct image optimization and sitemap generation.
