Getting Started

Welcome to Astro Modular! This quick start guide will get your blog running in minutes. Choose your preferred workflow below.

Get Astro Modular

Vault CMS is already included

Astro Modular ships with Vault CMS and every Obsidian plugin it uses, preconfigured insrc/content/.obsidian/. Don’t install Vault CMS separately: its installer copies its own .obsidian and _bases folders over the ones bundled here.

Without the command line: open the latest release, download Source code (zip) under Assets, and extract it wherever you want your site’s project folder to live.

With the command line (requires Node.js and pnpm):

pnpm create astro-modular my-blog

Either way, open the src/content folder as a vault in Obsidian next. See Choose Your Workflow below.

What You Need

Obsidian to write.
Git and a GitHub account to publish. The setup wizard creates the GitHub repository for you.
A host such as Netlify, Vercel, or Cloudflare. The host builds your site from GitHub, so publishing needs nothing else installed on your computer.
Optional: Node.js 24.13.0+ and pnpm. You only need these to preview the site on your own computer or to use the command-line install.

Preview on Your Computer (Optional)

Run these from the project folder (the one that contains package.json):

# Install pnpm
npm install -g pnpm

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Preview
pnpm dev # or pnpm preview
# Available at http://localhost:5000

# Build for production
pnpm build

Choose Your Workflow

Using Obsidian?

Perfect! Astro Modular is designed specifically for Obsidian users.

Quick Start:

Open folder as vault: Navigate to src/content/ in Obsidian
Trust the author and enable the preconfigured plugins
Follow the setup wizards: Astro Modular Settings configures your theme and preferences, then Vault CMS connects your site to GitHub and your host
Start writing with the included templates and hotkeys

What you get:

Seamless publishing: write in Obsidian, publish to your blog with git
Versatile internal linking support: [[Wikilinks]] and markdown links work perfectly
Obsidian-specific features: callouts, highlighting, and more display beautifully
Preconfigured plugins & hotkeys: all optimized for blogging

Next Steps:

Read the Obsidian Vault Guide for detailed setup
Use the Astro Modular Settings plugin to customize your theme and preferences
Start writing your first post with the included templates

Not Using Obsidian?

No problem! You can still use Astro Modular with any editor.

Quick Start:

Edit src/config.ts to customize your site settings
Create content in src/content/posts/ using standard markdown
Deploy when ready

Next Steps:

Read the setup guide for detailed configuration
Explore the reference guide for markdown features
Customize your theme and layout in src/config.ts

Essential Configuration

Update these core settings in src/config.ts:

export const siteConfig = {
  site: 'https://yourdomain.com',
  title: 'Your Blog Title',
  description: 'Your blog description',
  author: 'Your Name',
  language: 'en',
}

Wikilinks (Obsidian users): [[Post Title]]
Standard links (all users): [Post Title](posts/post-slug)

Content Types

Posts - Blog articles with tags and linked mentions
Pages - Static pages like About, Contact
Projects - Portfolio items and showcases
Documentation - Guides and references

Next Steps

For Obsidian Users:

Set up the vault - Open src/content/ in Obsidian
Configure with the plugin - Use Astro Modular Settings
Start writing - Use the included templates and hotkeys
Read the vault guide - Obsidian Vault Guide

For Non-Obsidian Users:

Customize your site - Edit src/config.ts
Read the full guide - Complete Setup Guide
Explore features - Formatting Reference
Start writing - Create your first post

Need Help?

Complete Setup Guide: Configuration Documentation
Obsidian Vault Guide: Obsidian Vault Guide
Formatting Reference: Formatting Reference

Your modular Astro blog is ready to go!