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Migrate from Forestry to 11ty

Complete guide to migrating your Forestry website to 11ty. Leave Forestry's discontinued behind and get ships zero javascript to the browser by default. Free migration tool included.

20-40 minutes
Medium
100% Free
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TL;DR

You can migrate from Forestry to 11ty for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose 11ty as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Medium. Estimated time: 20-40 minutes.

Why Teams Leave Forestry

Git-backed CMS for Hugo, Jekyll, and static sites (now TinaCMS). Legacy projects — new projects should use TinaCMS instead, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.

Discontinued — users must migrate to TinaCMS

This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Forestry. 11ty eliminates this issue entirely.

No longer receiving updates or new features

With 11ty, ships zero javascript to the browser by default — pure html.

Limited scalability for large content volumes

Modern architectures like 11ty are designed to avoid this from the ground up.

Git-based workflow can be slow for non-technical editors

After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — 11ty takes a fundamentally different approach.

What 11ty Brings to the Table

Zero-config JavaScript SSG that ships zero client JS by default. Built with JavaScript (multiple template languages), it's performance-focused sites that need minimal client-side javascript.

Ships zero JavaScript to the browser by default — pure HTML

Supports 10+ template languages (Nunjucks, Liquid, Markdown, etc.)

Framework-independent — use any or no JS framework

Fast builds and simple mental model

11ty is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.

Forestry vs 11ty at a Glance

Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics

MetricForestry11ty
Ease of Use⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Performance⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Flexibility⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Cost⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Scalability⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Ecosystem⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
LanguageJavaScript (Git-backed)JavaScript (multiple template languages)
PricingDiscontinued — migrated to TinaCMSFree (open-source)
Open SourceNoYes

Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.

What Gets Migrated

A detailed breakdown of how your Forestry content maps to 11ty

Content Types from Forestry

  • markdown files
  • data files
  • images

Technical Details

Export Method
Files are already in your Git repo
Source Language
JavaScript (Git-backed)
Destination Format
Markdown/MDX files with frontmatter, organized by content type
URL Handling
301 redirect map generated automatically to preserve SEO equity

What may need manual attention

Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in 11ty. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.

How It Works

Migrate your content in three simple steps

1

Connect

Enter your Forestry site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.

2

Configure

Select 11ty as destination and choose content options.

3

Export

Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.

Is Forestry to 11ty the Right Move for You?

Migrating from Forestry to 11ty makes the most sense if you're experiencing discontinued — users must migrate to tinacms or outgrowing Forestry's architecture. 11ty is best for performance-focused sites that need minimal client-side javascript.

You should migrate if: your Forestry site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.

You might want to stay if: your Forestry site benefits from clean, user-friendly admin ui for git-based content and you don't have JavaScript developers on your team. Forestry is genuinely easy to use, and that simplicity has value.

The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Forestry URL, select 11ty, and download your content. The more important question is whether 11ty's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to migrate from Forestry to 11ty?
Most migrations from Forestry complete in 20-40 minutes. Content is exported from Forestry, then structured for 11ty. Complex sites with extensive custom fields may take longer.
Will I lose my SEO rankings when migrating from Forestry?
No. We help you set up proper 301 redirects from your old Forestry URLs to preserve search rankings. 11ty actually tends to improve Core Web Vitals scores, which can boost rankings over time.
What Forestry content can be migrated to 11ty?
Forestry content types like markdown files, data files, images are all migrated to 11ty. Content is converted to Markdown/MDX files or structured for your chosen headless CMS.
Do I need JavaScript experience to migrate?
No coding experience is required for the migration itself — LeaveWP handles the export and conversion automatically. However, customizing your 11ty site afterward will benefit from JavaScript (multiple template languages) knowledge. For teams without that expertise, the generated code is well-structured and documented, making it approachable for developers of any level.
How much does it cost to host a 11ty site after migrating from Forestry?
11ty sites can be deployed to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any Node.js host — often on generous free tiers. static 11ty sites can be hosted for free on Vercel or Netlify (up to generous bandwidth limits), which is significantly cheaper than running a Forestry instance.
Can I migrate Forestry custom fields and metadata to 11ty?
Yes. Custom fields, metadata, and taxonomies from Forestry are preserved during migration. In 11ty, these become frontmatter fields in your Markdown/MDX files, which you can extend or restructure to fit your content model.

Related Migration Guides

Explore more migration paths from Forestry or to 11ty

Forestry to 11ty Guides

In-depth guides and tutorials to help with your migration

Ready to Migrate?

Start your free migration from Forestry to 11ty today.

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