Stellar

Stellar is a modern type-safe documentation theme built on Astro v4 that generates static documentation sites with Tailwind CSS styling, client-side search via fuse.js, and full Markdown and MDX content support.

What is Stellar?

Stellar is a documentation theme for Astro, the content-focused static site builder. It takes Markdown and MDX files as input and produces a responsive, SEO-friendly documentation website with a built-in search index. The project is distributed under the MIT license, and its official documentation is hosted at stellar-theme.netlify.app.

Key Features

• Astro v4 — Built on Astro version 4, the theme runs on the latest stable release of the framework and its content-driven architecture.
• Dark mode — Readers can switch between light and dark appearance with a built-in toggle, with no extra configuration needed.
• Type-safe i18n — Internationalization is type checked, so translation keys that are missing or mistyped fail at build time rather than in production.
• MD & MDX support — Documentation pages can be authored in plain Markdown or MDX, allowing components to be embedded directly in content.
• Search powered by fuse.js — A client-side full-text search is implemented with fuse.js, so search works without an external service or backend.
• Tailwind styling — The entire theme is styled with Tailwind CSS, making it possible to restyle the site using utility classes.
• View Transitions API — Stellar uses Astro's View Transitions to animate navigation between documentation pages.
• Shiki code syntax highlighting — Code blocks are highlighted with Shiki, which brings VS Code compatible themes and broad language support.

Who is it for?

Stellar is for developers, technical writers, and open-source maintainers who need a fast static documentation site without managing a CMS or backend. Teams already using Astro can adopt it directly, and writers comfortable with Markdown or MDX can start contributing pages immediately. Because the theme ships with type-safe i18n, localization teams can manage multiple languages with confidence.

Use cases

• Open-source projects: Publish API docs, tutorials, and contributing guides with built-in search and dark mode, all served as static files.
• Product documentation: Stand up a docs site for a SaaS tool with MDX pages that embed live components or code samples.
• Multilingual teams: Maintain documentation in several languages using the type-safe i18n system, which catches missing translations during the build.

FAQ

Is Stellar free?

Yes. Stellar is released under the MIT license, so you can use, modify, and distribute it freely, including for commercial projects.

Does Stellar support Markdown and MDX?

Yes. You can author documentation in plain Markdown or MDX. MDX support means you can embed interactive components inside your documentation pages when working within the Astro ecosystem.

How does search work in Stellar?

Search is powered by fuse.js and runs entirely in the browser. This means no external search service, no server-side indexing, and instant results even on static hosting platforms.

Which Astro version does Stellar require?

Stellar is built with Astro v4. You'll want to use Astro 4.x to match the theme's dependencies and take advantage of its content collection and View Transitions features.

Does Stellar include dark mode?

Yes, Stellar includes a built-in dark mode toggle. Visitors can switch between light and dark themes, and the chosen preference is handled via the theme's UI without additional setup.