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Migrate from GraphCMS to Astro

Complete guide to migrating your GraphCMS website to Astro. Leave GraphCMS's requires graphql knowledge behind and get ships zero js to the client by default (islands architecture). Free migration tool included.

20-40 minutes
Medium
100% Free
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TL;DR

You can migrate from GraphCMS to Astro for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Astro 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.

Official docs: Astro Documentation

Why Teams Leave GraphCMS

GraphQL-native headless CMS (now Hygraph). Teams building GraphQL-first applications with federated data needs, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.

Requires GraphQL knowledge — no REST API option

This is the most common reason teams migrate away from GraphCMS. Astro eliminates this issue entirely.

Free tier is restricted — paid plans start at $199/month

With Astro, ships zero js to the client by default (islands architecture).

Rebranded to Hygraph which caused community confusion

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

Smaller ecosystem than Contentful or Strapi

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

What Astro Brings to the Table

Content-focused framework that ships zero JavaScript by default. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic), it's content-heavy websites that need maximum performance with minimal javascript.

Ships zero JS to the client by default (Islands Architecture)

Use React, Vue, Svelte, or any framework in the same project

Content collections with type-safe Markdown/MDX

Purpose-built for content sites — blogs, docs, marketing pages

Astro 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/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.

GraphCMS vs Astro at a Glance

Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics

MetricGraphCMSAstro
Ease of Use⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Performance⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Flexibility⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Cost⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Scalability⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Ecosystem⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
LanguageAPI-based (GraphQL-first)JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic)
PricingFree / $199+/monthFree (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 GraphCMS content maps to Astro

Content Types from GraphCMS

  • models
  • entries
  • assets
  • enumerations

Technical Details

Export Method
Content API (GraphQL) or Management API
Source Language
API-based (GraphQL-first)
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 Astro. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.

How It Works

Migrate your content in three simple steps

1

Connect

Enter your GraphCMS site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.

2

Configure

Select Astro as destination and choose content options.

3

Export

Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.

Is GraphCMS to Astro the Right Move for You?

Migrating from GraphCMS to Astro makes the most sense if you're experiencing requires graphql knowledge — no rest api option or outgrowing GraphCMS's architecture. Astro is best for content-heavy websites that need maximum performance with minimal javascript.

You should migrate if: your GraphCMS 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 GraphCMS site benefits from graphql-native — built from the ground up for graphql and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team.

The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your GraphCMS URL, select Astro, and download your content. The more important question is whether Astro'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 GraphCMS to Astro?
Most migrations from GraphCMS complete in 20-40 minutes. We pull content via GraphCMS's Content API (GraphQL), then structured for Astro. Complex sites with extensive custom fields may take longer.
Will I lose my SEO rankings when migrating from GraphCMS?
No. We help you set up proper 301 redirects from your old GraphCMS URLs to preserve search rankings. Astro actually tends to improve Core Web Vitals scores, which can boost rankings over time.
What GraphCMS content can be migrated to Astro?
GraphCMS content types like models, entries, assets, enumerations are all migrated to Astro. Content is converted to Markdown/MDX files or structured for your chosen headless CMS.
Do I need JavaScript/TypeScript experience to migrate?
No coding experience is required for the migration itself — LeaveWP handles the export and conversion automatically. However, customizing your Astro site afterward will benefit from JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic) 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 Astro site after migrating from GraphCMS?
Astro sites can be deployed to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any Node.js host — often on generous free tiers. Compared to GraphCMS's Free / $199+/month pricing, static Astro sites can be hosted for free on Vercel or Netlify (up to generous bandwidth limits), which is significantly cheaper than running a GraphCMS instance.
Can I migrate GraphCMS custom fields and metadata to Astro?
Yes. Custom fields, metadata, and taxonomies from GraphCMS are preserved during migration. In Astro, 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 GraphCMS or to Astro

GraphCMS to Astro Guides

In-depth guides and tutorials to help with your migration

Ready to Migrate?

Start your free migration from GraphCMS to Astro today.

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