Building a Blog with SvelteKit and Tailwind CSS
Creating a modern, fast, and beautiful blog doesn’t have to be complicated. SvelteKit, combined with Tailwind CSS, provides an excellent foundation for building a performant blog that’s both developer-friendly and visually appealing. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process of creating a blog from scratch.
Why SvelteKit and Tailwind CSS?
SvelteKit offers several advantages for blog development. It generates highly optimized static sites with minimal JavaScript overhead, provides excellent SEO capabilities through server-side rendering, and includes built-in routing that makes organizing blog content straightforward. The developer experience is exceptional, with fast hot reloading and intuitive file-based routing.
Tailwind CSS complements SvelteKit perfectly by offering utility-first styling that keeps your CSS bundle small and maintainable. It provides consistent design tokens, responsive design utilities, and excellent performance through automatic purging of unused styles.
Setting Up Your Project
Start by creating a new SvelteKit project. Open your terminal and run:
npm create svelte@latest my-blog
cd my-blog
npm install
When prompted, choose the “Skeleton project” option and select TypeScript if you prefer type safety (recommended for larger projects).
Next, install and configure Tailwind CSS:
npm install -D tailwindcss postcss autoprefixer @tailwindcss/typography
npx tailwindcss init -p
Update your tailwind.config.js to include SvelteKit’s file paths and add the typography plugin:
module.exports = {
content: ['./src/**/*.{html,js,svelte,ts}'],
theme: {
extend: {},
},
plugins: [require('@tailwindcss/typography')],
}
Create a src/app.css file and add Tailwind’s directives:
@tailwind base;
@tailwind components;
@tailwind utilities;
Import this CSS file in your src/app.html or create a +layout.svelte file in src/routes and import it there.
Project Structure and Architecture
Organize your blog with a clear structure. Create the following directory layout:
src/
├── lib/
│ ├── components/
│ ├── stores/
│ └── utils/
├── routes/
│ ├── blog/
│ ├── about/
│ └── +layout.svelte
└── posts/
The src/lib directory will contain reusable components and utilities, while src/routes handles your page routing. Store your blog posts as Markdown files in src/posts or consider using a headless CMS for more dynamic content management.
Creating the Blog Layout
Design a clean, responsive layout that works across all devices. Create a +layout.svelte file in your routes directory:
<script>
import '../app.css';
</script>
<div class="min-h-screen bg-gray-50">
<header class="bg-white shadow-sm">
<nav class="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-4 py-6">
<div class="flex justify-between items-center">
<h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-gray-900">
<a href="/">My Blog</a>
</h1>
<div class="space-x-6">
<a href="/blog" class="text-gray-600 hover:text-gray-900">Blog</a>
<a href="/about" class="text-gray-600 hover:text-gray-900">About</a>
</div>
</div>
</nav>
</header>
<main class="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-4 py-8">
<slot />
</main>
<footer class="bg-white border-t mt-12">
<div class="max-w-4xl mx-auto px-4 py-8 text-center text-gray-600">
<p>© 2025 My Blog. All rights reserved.</p>
</div>
</footer>
</div>
This layout provides a consistent structure with a header, main content area, and footer. The max-w-4xl class ensures your content doesn’t become too wide on large screens, maintaining readability.
Implementing Blog Posts
Create a system for managing blog posts using Markdown files. First, install necessary dependencies:
npm install -D mdsvex rehype-slug rehype-autolink-headings
Configure mdsvex in your svelte.config.js:
import adapter from '@sveltejs/adapter-auto';
import { vitePreprocess } from '@sveltejs/kit/vite';
import { mdsvex } from 'mdsvex';
const config = {
extensions: ['.svelte', '.md'],
preprocess: [
vitePreprocess(),
mdsvex({
extensions: ['.md'],
rehypePlugins: [
'rehype-slug',
'rehype-autolink-headings'
]
})
],
kit: {
adapter: adapter()
}
};
export default config;
Create blog post files in src/routes/blog/ with frontmatter:
---
title: "Getting Started with SvelteKit"
date: "2025-01-15"
excerpt: "Learn how to build modern web applications with SvelteKit"
tags: ["svelte", "web development", "javascript"]
---
# Getting Started with SvelteKit
Your blog post content goes here...
Building the Blog Index
Create a blog index page that displays all your posts. In src/routes/blog/+page.server.js:
export async function load() {
const allPostFiles = import.meta.glob('./*.md');
const iterablePostFiles = Object.entries(allPostFiles);
const allPosts = await Promise.all(
iterablePostFiles.map(async ([path, resolver]) => {
const { metadata } = await resolver();
const postPath = path.slice(2, -3);
return {
meta: metadata,
path: postPath,
};
})
);
const sortedPosts = allPosts.sort((a, b) => {
return new Date(b.meta.date) - new Date(a.meta.date);
});
return {
posts: sortedPosts
};
}
Create the corresponding +page.svelte:
<script>
export let data;
</script>
<svelte:head>
<title>Blog</title>
</svelte:head>
<div class="space-y-8">
<h1 class="text-4xl font-bold text-gray-900">Blog Posts</h1>
<div class="space-y-6">
{#each data.posts as post}
<article class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-sm p-6 hover:shadow-md transition-shadow">
<h2 class="text-2xl font-semibold mb-2">
<a href="/blog/{post.path}" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800">
{post.meta.title}
</a>
</h2>
<p class="text-gray-600 mb-3">{post.meta.excerpt}</p>
<div class="flex items-center justify-between text-sm text-gray-500">
<time>{new Date(post.meta.date).toLocaleDateString()}</time>
<div class="space-x-2">
{#each post.meta.tags as tag}
<span class="bg-blue-100 text-blue-800 px-2 py-1 rounded-full text-xs">
{tag}
</span>
{/each}
</div>
</div>
</article>
{/each}
</div>
</div>
Styling Blog Content
Leverage Tailwind’s typography plugin to create beautiful, readable blog post layouts. Create a +layout.svelte file in your src/routes/blog directory:
<div class="prose prose-lg max-w-none">
<slot />
</div>
The prose classes automatically style your Markdown content with appropriate typography, spacing, and colors. You can customize the prose styles by extending Tailwind’s configuration or adding custom CSS.
Adding Search and Filtering
Implement client-side search functionality to help readers find relevant content. Create a search component:
<script>
import { onMount } from 'svelte';
export let posts = [];
let searchTerm = '';
let selectedTag = '';
let filteredPosts = posts;
$: {
filteredPosts = posts.filter(post => {
const matchesSearch = post.meta.title.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm.toLowerCase()) ||
post.meta.excerpt.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm.toLowerCase());
const matchesTag = !selectedTag || post.meta.tags.includes(selectedTag);
return matchesSearch && matchesTag;
});
}
const allTags = [...new Set(posts.flatMap(post => post.meta.tags))];
</script>
<div class="mb-8 space-y-4">
<input
bind:value={searchTerm}
placeholder="Search posts..."
class="w-full px-4 py-2 border border-gray-300 rounded-lg focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500 focus:border-transparent"
/>
<select
bind:value={selectedTag}
class="w-full px-4 py-2 border border-gray-300 rounded-lg focus:ring-2 focus:ring-blue-500"
>
<option value="">All tags</option>
{#each allTags as tag}
<option value={tag}>{tag}</option>
{/each}
</select>
</div>
Performance Optimization
SvelteKit provides excellent performance out of the box, but you can make additional optimizations. Enable prerendering for your blog pages by adding to your +page.js files:
export const prerender = true;
Optimize images by using modern formats and implementing lazy loading. Consider using SvelteKit’s built-in image optimization or integrate with services like Cloudinary.
Implement code splitting by using dynamic imports for heavy components:
import { browser } from '$app/environment';
if (browser) {
const HeavyComponent = await import('./HeavyComponent.svelte');
}
SEO and Meta Tags
Implement proper SEO by adding meta tags to each blog post. Create a reusable SEO component:
<script>
export let title;
export let description;
export let image = '/default-og-image.jpg';
export let url;
</script>
<svelte:head>
<title>{title}</title>
<meta name="description" content={description} />
<!-- Open Graph -->
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content={title} />
<meta property="og:description" content={description} />
<meta property="og:image" content={image} />
<meta property="og:url" content={url} />
<!-- Twitter Card -->
<meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" />
<meta name="twitter:title" content={title} />
<meta name="twitter:description" content={description} />
<meta name="twitter:image" content={image} />
</svelte:head>
Deployment Considerations
SvelteKit offers flexible deployment options. For static hosting, configure the static adapter:
npm install -D @sveltejs/adapter-static
Update your svelte.config.js:
import adapter from '@sveltejs/adapter-static';
const config = {
kit: {
adapter: adapter({
pages: 'build',
assets: 'build',
fallback: null,
precompress: false
})
}
};
Deploy to platforms like Netlify, Vercel, or GitHub Pages. Each platform offers specific optimizations and features that can enhance your blog’s performance and reliability.
Conclusion
Building a blog with SvelteKit and Tailwind CSS provides a modern, performant foundation that scales well as your content grows. The combination offers excellent developer experience, outstanding performance, and beautiful design possibilities. Start with the basic structure outlined here, then gradually add features like commenting systems, newsletter subscriptions, or content management integrations as your blog evolves.
The key to a successful blog lies not just in the technology stack, but in creating valuable content and maintaining a consistent publishing schedule. With SvelteKit and Tailwind CSS handling the technical foundation, you can focus on what matters most: creating engaging content for your readers.
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