Marko
An HTML-based language for building web UIs, with server and browser rendering.
- Stars
- 14.5k
- Forks
- 662
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- Framework
What it is
Marko is a JavaScript framework where you write user interface templates in an HTML-like syntax. It can render pages on a server, in the browser, or both. Developers use it to build interactive websites and web apps.
- Build a server-rendered web page in Node.js
- Create reusable UI components written in HTML-like markup
- Add interactive client-side behavior to a server-rendered page
Great for
- JavaScript developers who prefer HTML-style templates over JSX
- Teams building sites that need server-side rendering in Node.js
- Developers exploring alternatives to React, Vue, or Svelte
Not ideal for
- Beginners who only need a plain static website, since plain HTML or a static site generator is simpler
- Teams that rely heavily on a large existing React component ecosystem, since Marko's ecosystem is smaller
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/marko-js/marko - 2
Run it
- Read the Marko documentation at markojs.com
- Set up a Node.js project and install Marko following the official docs
- Create a simple template file and render it to see the output
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the official docs at markojs.com for current setup guidance
- Explore the topics it covers: server-side rendering and client-side rendering
- Review the packages/runtime-tags README for runtime details
Downloads
Strengths
- Declarative HTML-based syntax that is familiar to people who know HTML
- Supports both server-side and client-side rendering from one codebase
- Open source under the MIT license with an active project (14k+ stars)
Trade-offs
- Smaller community and fewer third-party libraries than the most popular frameworks
- The README provided is truncated, so details of setup and features are limited in this analysis
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| marko (this) | 14.5k | Framework | intermediate | 6 days ago | JavaScript developers who prefer HTML-style templates over JSX |
| react | 252k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Developers building interactive web interfaces with JavaScript |
| vue | 212k | Library | intermediate | 2.1 years ago | Maintaining an existing Vue 2 application that cannot yet be upgraded |
| svelte | 88.5k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to build interactive websites with less boilerplate |
| preact | 39k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Web developers who already know React and want a lighter library |
| leptos | 21.5k | Library | advanced | 4 days ago | Rust developers who want to build full web apps in one language |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.