A blog is not a brochure. It has to stay comfortable at 1,500 words, on a phone, at midnight. Diary is a personal blog Astro theme built around that reading experience, for writers, columnists and lifestyle and travel bloggers who publish often and want their words, not the template, to be what readers remember.
It ships in two color schemes in one build. Dark suits moody photography and long essays read at night. Light suits bright, airy images and daytime reading. Readers switch with one click, and the site remembers their choice.
At a glance
- Color schemes: dark and light, with a toggle in the header that remembers each reader's choice
- Total routes: 39
- Homepage layouts: 6
- Archives: author, category and tag pages, populated with demo posts
- Site search: yes
- Blog: yes, with an RSS feed
- Contact and newsletter forms: yes
- CMS: none required, content lives in the repository
- Responsive: desktop, tablet and mobile breakpoints
- Design file: Figma file included
- Built with: Astro 7 and Tailwind CSS 4
Pages included
Homepage layouts
- Home 1
- Home 2
- Home 3
- Home 4
- Home 5
- Home 6
Static pages
- About
- Contact
- Search results
Dynamic templates
- Blog post
- Author
- Blog category archive
- Blog tag archive
Utility pages
- Style guide
- License
- Changelog
- 404
Dark and light, in one build
Both schemes share the same layout system. Only the colors change, so the choice is a matter of mood rather than a trade-off in features. The site opens in dark by default, and a sun and moon toggle in the header switches it for each reader.
Six ways to lead with a story
Each homepage frames your latest writing in a different rhythm. Lead with a single hero story, a carousel, a balanced grid, or a mixed feed with an author card, popular posts, categories and tags in the sidebar. Keep the one that suits your writing and the rest of the site works the same behind it.
Built for reading
The article page is the one that matters most, so it comes first: a comfortable measure, clear headings, an author card and related posts at the end. Author, category and tag archives let readers follow a writer or a subject, and search finds anything else.
Motion that respects the reader
Scroll reveals and smooth scrolling bring the pages to life, and all of it honors the reduced-motion setting, so a reader who has asked for less movement gets a still, fully legible page.
What this theme does not do
It does not include comments, member accounts or paid subscriptions. Connect the newsletter form to the email service you choose.
The demo photography comes from Unsplash and Freepik and is licensed for the preview only. Replace it with your own before you publish.
Who it is for
- Personal bloggers and writers
- Columnists and essayists who publish regularly
- Lifestyle, wellness and travel bloggers
- Small editorial teams with more than one author
Customizing it
Posts, authors, categories and tags are content entries, so publishing means adding a file. The style guide page shows every component in both color schemes, so you can see what a design change did.
If you would rather not do it yourself, our team can customize this theme for you, from color and content changes through to new pages and custom functionality. Request a theme customization quote.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get both color schemes?
Yes. Dark and light come in the same build, with a toggle for readers.
Can I ship only one scheme?
Yes. Set the default you prefer and remove the toggle from the header.
Do I need a CMS to use it?
No. The theme ships with all its content included and works as it is.
Does it need a server to run?
No. It builds to static files and deploys anywhere that serves a website, including free hosting tiers.
Support
Support for template-related issues is included. New features and customization are available as a paid service. The Figma design file is included with your purchase.
