VitePress is a Static Site Generator (SSG) built on Vite and Vue 3. It takes Markdown content, applies a theme, and generates static HTML that becomes an SPA for fast navigation. Perfect for documentation, blogs, and marketing sites.
Key Characteristics:
- File-based routing with
.md files
- Vue components work directly in Markdown
- Fast HMR with instant updates (<100ms)
- Default theme optimized for documentation
- Built-in search (local or Algolia)
Before working with VitePress projects:
- Check
.vitepress/config.ts for site configuration
- Look at
.vitepress/theme/ for custom theme extensions
- The
public/ directory contains static assets served as-is
The skill is based on VitePress 1.x, generated at 2026-01-28.
Core
Topic
Description
Reference
Configuration
Config file setup, defineConfig, site metadata
CLI
Command-line interface: dev, build, preview, init
Routing
File-based routing, source directory, rewrites
Markdown
Frontmatter, containers, tables, anchors, includes
Features
Code & Content
Topic
Description
Reference
Code Blocks
Syntax highlighting, line highlighting, diffs, focus
Vue in Markdown
Components, script setup, directives, templating
Data Loading
Build-time data loaders, createContentLoader
Dynamic Routes
Generate pages from data, paths loader files
Theme
Topic
Description
Reference
Theme Config
Nav, sidebar, search, social links, footer
Customization
CSS variables, slots, fonts, global components
Custom Theme
Building themes from scratch, theme interface
Advanced
Topic
Description
Reference
Internationalization
Multi-language sites, locale configuration
SSR Compatibility
Server-side rendering, ClientOnly, dynamic imports
Recipes
Topic
Description
Reference
Deployment
GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare, Nginx