metalsmith/metalsmith

Metalsmith is a static site generator for Node.js that builds sites by chaining together plugins to manipulate files.

Metalsmith solves the problem of generating static sites through a plugin-based architecture where all logic is handled by composable plugins rather than built into the core. The tool works in three steps: it reads files from a source directory, passes them through a series of plugins that can manipulate the files and their metadata, then writes the results to a destination directory. Each file can contain YAML front-matter that becomes metadata available to plugins, allowing them to make decisions about how to process content.

Metalsmith suits developers who want fine-grained control over their build pipeline and prefer composing small, focused plugins over monolithic generators. It works well for blogs, documentation sites, and other static content projects where you need custom processing logic. The tool provides both a JavaScript API for programmatic use and a CLI that reads configuration from a metalsmith.json file, making it accessible whether you prefer code-based or configuration-based workflows. The README positions Metalsmith as more than just a static site generator, noting that the core is an abstraction for manipulating directories of files, which means it can also serve as a project scaffolder or build tool for other file-processing tasks.

The project maintains an active plugin ecosystem with an official registry and core plugins available under the Metalsmith organization. Development shows consistent engagement with documentation and examples that demonstrate both simple and complex use cases, including a drafts plugin example that illustrates how straightforward plugin authoring can be. The codebase supports local plugins defined as relative paths, allowing domain-specific extensions without publishing to a registry.