This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Quesby
I've always loved static site generators.
But every time I wanted to spin up a small, focused site, I kept hitting the same problems:
- Boilerplates full of stuff I didn't ask for
- Too many external dependencies
- Complex setups just to publish a few pages or blog posts
So I ended up building my own starter – and that's how Quesby was born.
(Pronounced /ˈkiːz.bi/, like "keys-bee".)
Quesby is the boilerplate that powers my own site at quesby.dev, and now it's open for you to use too.
What Quesby Is
Quesby is a modern Eleventy boilerplate with a privacy-first mindset, Decap CMS integration, and a tiny core you can actually understand.
It's a clean starting point for content-driven sites where you still stay in control.
Who Quesby Is For
You might like Quesby if you:
- Enjoy Eleventy but don't want to wire everything from scratch every time
- Care about performance and privacy by default
- Prefer small, composable building blocks over big frameworks
- Want a starter that's production-ready, not just a demo repo
If you're happy with a giant meta-framework that does everything for you, Quesby isn't trying to compete with that.
It's for people who like to keep things close to the metal, with a little help.
Why I Built It
I wanted a starter that:
- Respects visitors – no tracking pixels, no analytics you didn't explicitly add
- Respects developers – no 20 layers of abstraction just to render a page
- Respects content creators – a simple CMS flow instead of “open a Markdown file and hope you don’t break the front matter”
Under the hood, Quesby uses a reusable core (@quesby/core) so the project logic isn't scattered everywhere.
That means you can reuse the same core across multiple sites and keep things consistent.
What You Actually Get
Out of the box, Quesby ships with:
- Eleventy 3.0 for static site generation
A small CLI, for example:
npx quesby new post "My First Quesby Post"
Generates a properly structured post with front matter, date, and a sane folder name.A modular theme system (comes with a couple of themes you can swap or customize)
SEO basics (sitemap, meta tags, etc.)
Privacy-first defaults – nothing gets injected behind your back
Optional CMS integration (Decap)
But the most important part: the codebase is meant to be readable.
If you like to open files, understand what's going on, and tweak things, Quesby is on your side.
How to Try It
The fastest way to play with it:
npx create-quesby my-site
cd my-site
Install dependencies (uses pnpm under the hood):
npm install -g pnpm@9
pnpm install
Launch the server with auto-reload:
pnpm serve
Then open http://localhost:8080 and start tweaking.
If you prefer details and alternative setups (Corepack, etc.), they're all in the repository README.
Links
-
Quesby Boilerplate: npm
@quesby/boilerplate· GitHubquesby/quesby-boilerplate -
Quesby Core: npm
@quesby/core· GitHubquesby/quesby-core - Site built with Quesby: quesby.dev
- Documentation: quesby.dev/docs
I built Quesby because I needed a starter that stayed out of the way, respected users' privacy, and still felt nice to work in.
If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feedback, issues, or PRs are welcome — or just a comment telling me what you'd build with it.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Quesby
Quesby | Sciencx (2025-11-21T05:44:02+00:00) Meet Quesby: A Privacy-First Eleventy Starter That Stays Out of Your Way. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/21/meet-quesby-a-privacy-first-eleventy-starter-that-stays-out-of-your-way/
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