At HomeTriangle, we've always been committed to providing a seamless and efficient user experience on our platform. To achieve better performance, we recently made a strategic decision to migrate our website from Next.js to Astro, incorporating SolidJS in the process. In this blog post, we'll explore the reasons behind our decision, the migration process, and the outcomes we've observed.

Why We Migrated

Next.js: Our previous framework, Next.js, served us well for a long time. It offered features like server-side rendering and static site generation that were instrumental in building a robust web presence. However, as our platform grew, we began to notice an increase in load times and a need for more dynamic updates without reloading pages.

Astro with SolidJS: We chose Astro because it is specifically designed to deliver lightning-fast websites by only sending the necessary JavaScript to the browser. It aligns with our goal of enhancing site performance and improving the user experience. SolidJS, a declarative JavaScript library, was selected for its fine-grained reactivity and efficiency, which complement Astro’s architecture beautifully.

The Migration Process

Migrating from Next.js to Astro involved several key steps:

Planning: We began with thorough planning, mapping out all components and dependencies. This phase was crucial for a smooth transition, ensuring that all features on our site would continue to work seamlessly post-migration.

Rebuilding the Site: We rebuilt our pages using Astro’s framework, rewriting our components to take advantage of SolidJS’s reactive system. This step was the most time-intensive, as it involved rethinking how each component interacts with the rest of the site.

Performance Optimization: Beyond basic reconstruction, we optimized the site’s loading performance by leveraging Astro’s static generation capabilities and SolidJS’s minimalistic runtime. Partytown’s script management further contributed by offloading third-party scripts to Web Workers, significantly reducing main thread blocking and speeding up interactive readiness.

Testing and Debugging: Before going live, extensive testing was conducted to ensure that all features functioned correctly across various browsers and devices. Debugging was an ongoing process during testing to fix any issues that arose.

Deployment: Finally, the new site was deployed. We monitored the performance closely, making adjustments as needed based on real user interactions.

Results

The results of migrating to Astro with SolidJS have been overwhelmingly positive:

Improved Load Times: Our pages now load significantly faster, thanks to Astro’s static site generation and SolidJS’s minimalistic approach.

Reduced JavaScript Payload: We have seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of JavaScript delivered to the client, decreasing bandwidth usage and improving mobile performance.

Enhanced User Experience: The site is more responsive, with UI updates feeling instantaneous, which enhances overall user satisfaction.

Conclusion
The decision to switch from Next.js to Astro with SolidJS has been a game-changer for HomeTriangle. Not only has it improved our website's performance, but it has also set a new standard for how we develop and deploy future enhancements. As we continue to grow, these technologies will play a vital role in our strategy to stay at the forefront of the digital service industry.

We are excited about the improvements we've made and look forward to delivering an even better experience to our users.