RecommendedConfigured project
Start with a complete foundation.
Use themes, plugins, collections, redirects, data files, and project-wide settings from day one.
- Interactive setup
- Official themes
- Optional Shiki and Tailwind plugins
content/index.md
content/.steno/config.yml
ScanParseTauStagePublish
---
title: Hello, Steno
layout: layout
---
# A faster way to publish
Write Markdown. Ship a website.$ deno task build
✓ Ready to build 1 page
dist/
index.html
atomic output
Structure when you want it. Simplicity when you do not.
Both modes use the same build pipeline, default theme, transactional output, and production guarantees.
OptionalZero-config mode
Turn one Markdown file into a site.
Perfect for a single page, a small experiment, or any project that does not need explicit settings yet.
# Hello from Steno
No config file required.- Automatic project discovery
- Default theme included
- Add configuration whenever needed
Cold build
405ms
4,000 Markdown pages
Apple M5, Deno 2.9.4. Results vary by machine.
Fast is useful. Predictable is essential.
Steno protects the site you already shipped while containing extension failures during the next build.
Transactional output
Pages, assets, redirects, and plugin output are completed in staging before the final site is replaced.
dist/index.htmlassets/site.cssCurrent site
→Ready
.dist.staging/index.htmlassets/site.cssNew build
Choose an outcome to inspect the transaction.
Isolated plugins
Run selected plugins in separate Deno processes with every runtime capability denied until explicitly granted.
Select permissions, then run the simulated plugin request.
Markup that looks like the page it creates.
Tau combines layouts, components, conditions, collections, includes, filters, and contextual escaping in a compact compiled template language.
Explore Tau syntax →layouts/article.tauEditable
Rendered outputLive
Begin with a theme. Make it yours.
Small core. Useful capabilities.
Start with Markdown and add structure only when the site asks for it.
Zero-config mode
Build a Markdown file or directory without creating a configuration file first.
Configured projects
Control themes, plugins, collections, redirects, output, and project-wide metadata.
Local or remote themes
Use a local directory or resolve versioned themes from JSR, npm, and HTTPS sources.
Persistent build cache
Reuse validated build state across processes for warm and incremental compilation.
Content collections
Filter, sort, limit, and validate groups of pages for blogs, indexes, and archives.
YAML or TOML
Choose either configuration format and use YAML or TOML frontmatter in content.
Markdown includes
Compose reusable content safely with root confinement and circular-include detection.
Data and environment
Load project data files and expose explicitly public environment values to templates.
Managed head tags
Define links, metadata, and scripts without manually rebuilding the document head.
Static redirects
Generate redirect pages with the same collision checks used for pages and assets.
Live development
Rebuild changed content and refresh the browser through the included development server.
Bounded rendering
Keep Tau compilation predictable with explicit cache, nesting, and output limits.
Build something worth publishing.
Start with a configured project, then keep only the complexity your site earns.