Hugo is one of the most popular open-source static site generators. With its amazing speed and flexibility, Hugo makes building websites fun again.
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These integration guides are not official documentation and the Strapi Support Team will not provide assistance with them.
What Is Hugo?
Hugo is a fast static site generator written in Go, capable of building sites with thousands of pages in milliseconds. When integrated with Strapi, Hugo combines its speed with Strapi’s powerful content management, creating an efficient workflow. Hugo’s simple approach involves writing in Markdown, applying templates, and generating static HTML pages.
Key benefits include lightning-fast build times, a flexible templating system for complex sites, and static output that requires no databases or server-side processing. Hugo sites are secure and easy to host. Whether for a blog or documentation site, Hugo and Strapi offer speed, flexibility, and simplicity.
Why Integrate Hugo with Strapi
Integrating Strapi, a headless CMS, with Hugo, a static site generator, creates a powerful development ecosystem that separates content management from presentation. This combination delivers exceptional performance while maintaining content flexibility, making it ideal for developers who want a seamless and efficient workflow.
Key Benefits for Developers
Content Type Flexibility: Strapi allows you to create custom content structures and fields, which Hugo then efficiently turns into static pages. Content editors benefit from a user-friendly interface, while developers maintain control over presentation.
API-First Architecture: Strapi serves content via REST or GraphQL APIs, which Hugo consumes during builds, offering headless content delivery without sacrificing speed.
Role-Based Permissions: Strapi’s granular permission system enables teams to control access to content creation, editing, and publishing, streamlining workflows.
Performance: Hugo builds static content in milliseconds, delivering near-instant page loads, while Strapi provides backend flexibility similar to dynamic sites.
Developer Experience: Both Strapi and Hugo offer intuitive interfaces and extensive customization options, prioritizing developer happiness.
Latest Strapi Features for Hugo Integration
Strapi Cloud: Managed hosting optimized for headless CMS deployments.
Strapi v5: Improved performance and plugin architecture.
Webhook System: Automatically triggers Hugo rebuilds when content changes.
Advanced Internationalization: Works seamlessly with Hugo’s multilingual capabilities.
Enhanced Media Library: Optimized for performance-focused Hugo sites.
This integration is perfect for projects requiring frequent content updates, like marketing sites, documentation portals, or multilingual publications, offering flexibility without performance penalties.
How to Integrate Hugo with Strapi
Integrating Hugo with Strapi creates a powerful development stack that combines flexible content management with blazing-fast static site generation. Here's how to set up this combination.
System Requirements
Before starting, ensure you have:
Hugo v0.68+
Node.js 14+ (LTS version recommended)
Database system (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite)
Git for version control
Setting Up Strapi for Hugo Integration
Create a new Strapi project:
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npx create-strapi-app my-project
Design your content structure in Strapi to match your Hugo site architecture. Create collection types for repeatable content (blog posts, products) and single types for standalone pages (home, about).
Enable internationalization if you're building a multilingual site by installing the i18n plugin from the Strapi Marketplace.
Deploy your Strapi instance to a Node.js-compatible hosting platform that supports your chosen database.
Configuring Hugo to Fetch Data from Strapi
Create a data fetching script in your Hugo project that pulls content from Strapi's API endpoints:
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// Example of authenticated requestconstgetAuthenticatedContent=async()=>{// First, get a tokenconst auth =await axios.post('https://your-strapi.com/api/auth/local',{identifier: process.env.STRAPI_USER,password: process.env.STRAPI_PASSWORD,});// Then use a token for authenticated requestsreturn axios.get('https://your-strapi.com/api/private-content',{headers:{Authorization:`Bearer ${auth.data.jwt}`,},});};
Configure role permissions in Strapi to limit API access based on authentication status.
Store sensitive information (API keys, credentials) in environment variables.
Enable HTTPS for all communication between services.
Project Example: Building a Multi-Language Documentation Site with Hugo and Strapi
Let's examine a practical example of integrating Hugo with Strapi: a multi-language documentation website for a SaaS product serving markets across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
In this project, Strapi functions as the content hub where technical writers create documentation in English, French, and Spanish. Hugo then pulls this content through Strapi's multilingual APIs to build static sites for each language.
The implementation follows a clean, logical structure:
Content authors work solely in Strapi's admin interface, focusing on clear documentation.
Localization teams handle translations directly in Strapi using built-in i18n features.
Hugo fetches content via API and generates optimized static pages for each language.
Netlify hosts the static site with global CDN distribution.
What makes this implementation particularly effective
Smart content synchronization: Custom webhooks trigger Hugo rebuilds only when relevant content changes.
Lightning performance: Static Hugo pages load in under 100ms across all regions.
Powerful search: Algolia integration provides fast, accurate search across all languages.
Version control: Documentation for different product versions managed through Strapi's versioning system.
The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach:
Pages load 300% faster compared to the previous WordPress setup.
Content team productivity jumped 40% thanks to Strapi's intuitive editing.
Hosting costs dropped 60% despite traffic growth.
This case illustrates the benefits of the separation of concerns—content management (Strapi) from presentation (Hugo). Content teams get a friendly writing environment while users enjoy fast documentation pages that work even on slow connections.
Strapi Open Office Hours for Integrating Hugo
If you have any questions about Strapi 5 or just would like to stop by and say hi, you can join us at Strapi's Discord Open Office Hours, Monday through Friday, from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm CST: Strapi Discord Open Office Hours.
What is Hugo and how does it integrate with Strapi?
Hugo is a fast static site generator that compiles Markdown content into static HTML, which is ideal for performance. When integrated with Strapi, Hugo pulls content via Strapi's API and generates pre-rendered static pages. This enhances the speed of your website while allowing content management through Strapi's headless CMS.
Why should I use Hugo with Strapi?
Combining Hugo and Strapi offers the best of both worlds: Hugo provides ultra-fast static site generation, while Strapi manages your content efficiently. This integration ensures that your website is both highly performant (thanks to Hugo's static pages) and easily maintainable (with Strapi’s flexible content management system).
What are the system requirements for using Hugo and Strapi together?
To use Hugo and Strapi together, you need:
* Hugo v0.68+
* Node.js 14+
* A database system like PostgreSQL or MySQL
* Git for version control
* Basic understanding of the command line and API usage
How do I set up Strapi for use with Hugo?
1. Create a Strapi project with the command:
`npx create-strapi-app my-project --quickstart`
2. Set up content types in the Strapi admin panel (e.g., Articles, Pages).
3. Configure CORS settings in Strapi to allow connections from Hugo (development and production environments).
4. Use Strapi's REST or GraphQL API to fetch the content you need for Hugo.
How does Hugo fetch content from Strapi?
Hugo fetches content from Strapi using a custom script or plugin that communicates with the Strapi API. You configure your Strapi API URL in the Hugo project's configuration, and Hugo makes HTTP requests to retrieve content. For instance, you can use a Node.js script to pull content and convert it into markdown for Hugo.
Can I use GraphQL to fetch content from Strapi in Hugo?
Yes, you can use GraphQL to fetch content from Strapi in Hugo. After enabling the GraphQL plugin in Strapi, you can configure your Hugo project to send GraphQL queries to Strapi for more complex or specific data retrieval, which gives you finer control over the data structure and reduces the amount of data fetched.
How do I set up Strapi and Hugo for multilingual content?
Strapi supports multilingual content through its i18n plugin, which allows you to manage translations for each content type. Hugo, when configured properly, can then fetch this multilingual data from Strapi and render it according to the user’s language preferences. Make sure to configure your Strapi i18n settings and set up content in different languages, and then use dynamic routing in Hugo to serve the correct language version.
How can I optimize performance when using Strapi with Hugo?
You can optimize performance by:
* Using Hugo’s built-in image optimization and lazy loading features.
* Caching content in Hugo using its built-in caching features or through a CDN.
* Leveraging Strapi’s API caching and pagination to minimize large API responses.
* Using a CDN to serve static content and reduce server load.
What should I do if I encounter CORS issues between Hugo and Strapi?
To resolve CORS issues, make sure you configure Strapi’s `config/middleware.js` to allow requests from your Hugo site’s domain. You can add the following settings to enable CORS for development:
```javascript
module.exports = {
settings: {
cors: {
enabled: true,
origin: ['http://localhost:4000'], // Your Hugo site's URL
},
},
};