Smooth Apps is a Gatsby-based landing page template for promoting a software application, using Contentful as its content management system and built as a Stackbit theme.
What is Smooth Apps?
Smooth Apps is a website template that generates a marketing site for an app from content stored in Contentful. It is built with the Gatsby static site generator, so the sites it produces are pre-rendered HTML for fast loading. The template was created with Stackbit, a service that scaffolds site themes, and includes a GitHub repository ready for deployment to Netlify. The template's content is pulled from Contentful via a command-line script and can be edited in either the Contentful dashboard or the visual editor in Stackbit Studio.
Key Features
- Gatsby static site generation — The template uses Gatsby to build a static site, meaning no server-side runtime is required after the build step. The local development server runs on port 8000.
- Contentful CMS integration — Content is stored in a Contentful space and retrieved using the Content Delivery API. You supply the access token and space ID as environment variables (
CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKENandCONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID). - Stackbit Studio visual editing — In addition to the Contentful interface, the template supports on-page editing through Stackbit Studio, a free tool for managing Stackbit-generated sites.
- Netlify deployment ready — The README includes a Netlify status badge, indicating the project is set up for automated deployment via Netlify.
- Local development workflow — Detailed steps walk you through installing dependencies with npm, pulling content with
npx @stackbit/contentful-pull, and runningnpm run developto preview the site. - Flexible theme variations — Stackbit links allow you to generate the same theme with different CMS options (Sanity, Dato CMS, Netlify CMS) or alternative static site generators (Next.js, Hugo, Jekyll).
Who is it for?
- App startup founders — Smooth Apps gives you a pre-built landing page to show off a mobile or web application, with the content structured for marketing copy.
- Developers using Gatsby — If you already work with Gatsby, this template provides a working Contentful integration and a familiar project layout that you can customize.
- Content managers and marketers — Non-technical team members can update copy, images, and layouts through Contentful's interface or Stackbit Studio without touching the underlying code.
What can you do with Smooth Apps?
- Launch an app landing page — Use the included "app demo" design to publish a clean, single-purpose marketing page for your product in a short amount of time.
- Manage content via a headless CMS — Edit all page content from Contentful, then rebuild the Gatsby site to pick up changes.
- Swap the CMS or SSG — Stackbit's create links let you regenerate the project with a different CMS (Sanity, Dato CMS, Netlify CMS) or a different static site generator (Next.js, Hugo, Jekyll).
How does Smooth Apps work?
- Run
npm installafter installing Node.js and npm. - Set the Contentful Delivery API access token and space ID as environment variables.
- Fetch the content with
npx @stackbit/contentful-pull --ssg gatsby --contentful-space-id $CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID --contentful-access-token $CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN. - Start the development server with
npm run developand open http://localhost:8000 to see the site. - Edit content via Contentful or Stackbit Studio and deploy through Netlify.
FAQ
What CMS does Smooth Apps use?
Smooth Apps uses Contentful as its content management system. Site content is stored in a Contentful space and pulled into the Gatsby project using the Contentful Content Delivery API.
How do I run the template locally?
You need Node.js and npm, a Contentful space with a Content Delivery API access token, and the space ID. After installing dependencies, set the two environment variables, run the content pull script, and start the development server with npm run develop.
Can I use another CMS with this template?
The Stackbit create links in the README allow you to generate the same theme using Sanity, Dato CMS, or Netlify CMS instead of Contentful. The repository page also offers links to use Next.js, Hugo, or Jekyll as the static site generator.
Where can I edit the site content?
You can edit content directly in the Contentful interface (linked from the README) or use Stackbit Studio, which provides a visual on-page editing experience for Stackbit-generated sites.
