When I would move a Gatsby site to Astro

Gatsby still works in 2026. Version 5.16, released in January 2026, added React 19 and Node.js 24 support, and the repository is still active. Netlify ended Gatsby Cloud in 2023, there has been no new major version since November 2022, and community plugins have their own release schedules. A site that builds today can stay. Regular changes and dependency problems are reasons to consider moving.

I would not choose Gatsby for a new marketing website. For an existing site, I would look at what the team needs to change before recommending a rebuild. A working site with current dependencies can stay. A site where each update needs another plugin patch deserves a closer look.

Gatsby still ships releases. Gatsby Cloud has closed.

Netlify bought Gatsby in February 2023. Its August 2023 announcement set an end-of-service date for Gatsby Cloud customers and offered moves to Netlify. The announcement also said the decision would not affect Gatsby JS and promised continued framework maintenance.

That maintenance continues. Gatsby 5.15.0 added Node.js 22 support in August 2025. Gatsby 5.16.0 followed in January 2026 with React 19 and Node.js 24 support. The latest npm release is 5.16.1, from February 2026, and it supports Node.js 18 through 25 and React 18 or 19 (Gatsby on npm).

There has been no new major version since November 2022. Earlier majors arrived in September 2018, March 2021 and October 2021 (version history). I would factor that slower development into a new build decision. It does not mean an existing website has stopped working.

The problem usually appears when the business needs a change

A static Gatsby build keeps serving its HTML, JavaScript and assets after it is deployed. The framework does not need to release an update for the existing pages to remain online. Sites can also build on other hosts that run Node.js, including Netlify, Vercel and Cloudflare.

Before adding a page section, changing the CMS or updating the build runtime, I check which plugins the work depends on. Gatsby’s team updated its official plugins for React 19, but warned that community plugins might not yet support it (5.16.0 release notes). A CMS source plugin or image plugin needs its own compatibility check.

Runtime support needs checking too. Node.js 26 becomes the active LTS line on 28 October 2026, while Node.js 22 reaches end of life on 30 April 2027 (Node.js release schedule). Gatsby 5.16.1 declares support through Node.js 25. Moving the build to a newer Node.js line depends on Gatsby supporting it.

I would review those dependencies alongside build time. If editors wait for every content change, that delay is part of the cost of keeping the site. If the team rarely changes the code and the plugins are current, I would be reluctant to spend its budget replacing something that still does its job.

A move to Astro can leave the content where it is

A frontend rebuild does not always require a CMS migration. If the existing content model works, I can keep the CMS and change how the website reads it.

Gatsby’s GraphQL queries and source plugins become direct CMS API calls or imports in Astro. Both frameworks use components and file-based routing. React components can stay where interaction requires them, while Astro renders the rest of the page to HTML. The Astro migration guide explains the differences.

The templates still need work. JSX pages with Gatsby graphql queries become Astro templates that fetch their own data. Site metadata from gatsby-config.js moves into a data file, browser code from gatsby-browser.js moves into the layout, and gatsby-node.js page generation moves to Astro’s routes. gatsby-plugin-image is replaced by Astro’s image component or the CMS image CDN.

I also compare the old and new URLs and metadata. Each address needs to remain available or redirect permanently to its replacement. Titles, descriptions, canonical tags and structured data need checking page by page.

Decide around the next work the site needs

If a redesign already requires the templates to be rebuilt, I would compare the cost of keeping Gatsby with moving them to Astro.

The templates and CMS integration determine the migration scope. A few hundred pages using a dozen templates can involve less work than a small site with custom plugins, search and unusual page generation. I review the existing setup before estimating an Astro and headless CMS migration. For a decision review without the rebuild, I offer Astro consultancy.