Lume
Open SourceFast Static Site Generator for Deno with flexible template engines
AI Summary
Lume is a modern Static Site Generator that runs on Deno and supports various template engines such as Markdown, JSX, TypeScript, Nunjucks, and Vento. The tool generates pure static websites without additional client-side JavaScript code and uses HTTPS imports instead of node_modules. Lume is designed for developers who want to create fast, secure, and flexibly configurable static websites.
✓ Pros
- +Supports numerous template engines (Markdown, JSX, TypeScript, Vento, Nunjucks)
- +No node_modules folder thanks to HTTPS imports and Deno runtime
- +Simple API with plugin system and DOM-based HTML processing
✗ Cons
- −Requires switching to Deno runtime instead of Node.js
- −Smaller community compared to established generators like Next.js or Gatsby
Use Cases
- →Creating documentation websites with TypeScript and Markdown
- →Building portfolio and blog websites without client-side JavaScript
- →Migrating existing static sites from Eleventy, Astro, or Jekyll to Deno
- →Developing corporate websites with optimized Core Web Vitals
Who is it for?
For developers who build modern static sites with TypeScript/Deno and value performance, flexibility, and zero-runtime overhead.
Tags
What is Lume?
Lume is a static site generator built on the Deno runtime. Unlike many alternatives, it dispenses entirely with a node_modules folder: dependencies are loaded via HTTPS imports. The result is pure static websites without any client-side JavaScript injected by the generator itself.
The project comes from the Deno ecosystem and treats TypeScript as its base language throughout. Developers who have worked with Eleventy, Jekyll or similar generators will recognise the underlying principle. The difference lies in the runtime and the configuration model.
Core features
- Multiple template engines: Markdown, JSX, TypeScript, Nunjucks and Vento can be combined within the same project.
- No node_modules: HTTPS imports via Deno replace the conventional package folder entirely.
- Plugin system: Functionality can be added in a modular way without modifying the core.
- DOM-based HTML processing: Generated HTML can be manipulated via a DOM API after the build step.
- Zero runtime overhead: The output contains no browser-side JavaScript added by the generator.
Who is Lume for?
Lume is aimed at developers who already work with Deno and TypeScript, or who are actively planning a move away from Node.js. The tool is a good fit for documentation sites, portfolios and blogs where performance and minimal HTML output matter.
Developers who stay in a Node.js environment and have no plans to migrate to Deno will face a high setup cost. The community is smaller than those around established generators such as Eleventy or Astro, and debugging resources and ready-made plugins are correspondingly limited.
Context & alternatives
Lume belongs to the category of file-based static site generators in the Jamstack space. Direct alternatives within the Node.js ecosystem include Eleventy (similarly flexible regarding template engines), Astro (with an optional component framework) and Jekyll (Ruby-based, widely used for documentation).
The key difference from these tools: Lume is the only option in this group that runs natively on Deno. Anyone building a project on Deno already can use Lume without introducing a break to a Node.js toolchain.
