Eleventy (11ty) is a small, flexible static site generator written in JavaScript. It has no required framework, which makes it a favourite for agencies and teams that want full control over the HTML. We provide Eleventy developers for that kind of work, from a single engineer to a team. If you want a finished site, see our Eleventy development services.
What do we check in an Eleventy developer?
Eleventy gives you very few rules, so quality comes from the person. We test for these:
- Data cascade. Global data, directory data and front matter merge in a set order, and bugs come from not knowing which layer wins. Candidates explain it with an example from their own work.
- Template languages. Nunjucks, Liquid, WebC and plain JavaScript templates, and when to mix them. Eleventy 3 supports ES modules, so we also check comfort with modules against older CommonJS config files.
- Collections and pagination. Building tag pages, archives and paginated lists without hand-written loops.
- Plugins and filters. Writing a shortcode or filter, and using the Image plugin to generate responsive images at build time.
- Build and delivery. Incremental builds, a Vite or esbuild step when scripts are needed, and deployment with correct caching headers.
- Content sources. Reading from markdown, JSON or a headless CMS through data files at build time.
Because Eleventy ships little JavaScript by default, we also look for performance habits: no framework added without a reason, images sized properly, and clean semantic markup.
Which projects suit Eleventy?
Eleventy works for brochure sites, blogs, documentation and design-led marketing sites where the team wants hand-built HTML. It is a weaker choice for sites with many interactive components or a React design system, where Astro or Next.js saves time. We tell you if your brief points that way.
What are the common Eleventy traps?
Eleventy never stops you from building a mess. We see three patterns repeatedly. Data files grow into an unreadable cascade where nobody knows which value wins. Every page template reimplements the same header and navigation instead of using layouts. And a site stays on an old CommonJS config with plugins that no longer match the current major version. Experienced Eleventy developers set conventions early: one place for global data, a small set of layouts, shortcodes with tests, and a CI step that fails on broken links or missing alt text.
What would an Eleventy developer do first?
- Upgrade an older config to Eleventy 3 and fix plugin compatibility.
- Turn a set of copied pages into layouts and reusable shortcodes.
- Add image optimization and a link checker to CI.
- Connect editors through a git-based CMS such as Decap or a headless one.
- Port a WordPress or Jekyll theme without changing URLs.
How do you work with us?
You choose a dedicated developer, a team extension or a scoped project. For a single role, the engineer joins your repository and sprint rhythm. For a group, see IT staff augmentation or a dedicated team. Rates sit within our usual frontend band and are confirmed after a short intro call, before you meet any candidate.
More static-site options are listed in our Jamstack guide, and the full bench is on the frontend developers page.
