Usage

Learn how to use Streamdown in your project.

Streamdown is a drop-in replacement for react-markdown, so you can use it just like you would use react-markdown.

Basic Usage

Import and use the Streamdown component in your React application:

app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';

export default function Page() {
  const markdown = "# Hello World\n\nThis is **streaming** markdown!";

  return <Streamdown>{markdown}</Streamdown>;
}

That's it! Streamdown will render your Markdown with all the built-in features enabled.

With Plugins

For syntax highlighting, diagrams, math rendering, and CJK support, install the plugin packages:

npm install @streamdown/code @streamdown/mermaid @streamdown/math @streamdown/cjk

Then import the plugins:

app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { code } from '@streamdown/code';
import { mermaid } from '@streamdown/mermaid';
import { math } from '@streamdown/math';
import { cjk } from '@streamdown/cjk';

// Import KaTeX styles for math rendering
import 'katex/dist/katex.min.css';

export default function Page() {
  const markdown = `
# Hello World

Here's some code:

\`\`\`typescript
const greeting = "Hello, World!";
console.log(greeting);
\`\`\`

And a diagram:

\`\`\`mermaid
graph LR
    A[Start] --> B[End]
\`\`\`

And some math: $$E = mc^2$$
  `;

  return (
    <Streamdown
      plugins={{
        code: code,
        mermaid: mermaid,
        math: math,
        cjk: cjk,
      }}
    >
      {markdown}
    </Streamdown>
  );
}

Plugin Options

Each plugin is optional - install and import only what you need:

# Just syntax highlighting
npm install @streamdown/code
app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { code } from '@streamdown/code';

<Streamdown plugins={{ code: code }}>
  {markdown}
</Streamdown>
# Just diagrams
npm install @streamdown/mermaid
app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { mermaid } from '@streamdown/mermaid';

<Streamdown plugins={{ mermaid: mermaid }}>
  {markdown}
</Streamdown>
# Just math
npm install @streamdown/math
app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { math } from '@streamdown/math';
import 'katex/dist/katex.min.css';

<Streamdown plugins={{ math: math }}>
  {markdown}
</Streamdown>
# Just CJK support
npm install @streamdown/cjk
app/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { cjk } from '@streamdown/cjk';

<Streamdown plugins={{ cjk: cjk }}>
  {markdown}
</Streamdown>

With AI Streaming

Streamdown really shines when used with AI streaming. Here's an example using the Vercel AI SDK:

app/page.tsx
'use client';

import { useChat } from '@ai-sdk/react';
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { code } from '@streamdown/code';
import { mermaid } from '@streamdown/mermaid';

export default function ChatPage() {
  const { messages, input, handleInputChange, handleSubmit, isLoading } = useChat();

  return (
    <div className="flex flex-col h-screen">
      <div className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto p-4 space-y-4">
        {messages.map((message) => (
          <div
            key={message.id}
            className={message.role === 'user' ? 'text-right' : 'text-left'}
          >
            <div className="inline-block max-w-2xl">
              <Streamdown
                plugins={{
                  code: code,
                  mermaid: mermaid,
                }}
                isAnimating={isLoading && message.role === 'assistant'}
              >
                {message.content}
              </Streamdown>
            </div>
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>

      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="p-4 border-t">
        <input
          value={input}
          onChange={handleInputChange}
          placeholder="Ask me anything..."
          className="w-full px-4 py-2 border rounded-lg"
          disabled={isLoading}
        />
      </form>
    </div>
  );
}

Static Mode

Static mode is designed for rendering pre-generated markdown content, such as blog posts, documentation, or other static pages where content is already complete.

When to Use Static Mode

Use static mode when:

  • Rendering static markdown content (e.g., blog posts, docs)
  • Content is pre-generated and not streaming
  • You need improved fallback rendering for code blocks
  • Streaming optimizations are unnecessary

Basic Static Mode Usage

Enable static mode by setting the mode prop to "static":

app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { code } from '@streamdown/code';

export default function BlogPost({ content }: { content: string }) {
  return (
    <Streamdown
      mode="static"
      plugins={{ code: code }}
    >
      {content}
    </Streamdown>
  );
}

How Static Mode Works

Static mode skips streaming-related optimizations:

  • No block parsing: Content is rendered as a single unit instead of being split into blocks
  • No incomplete markdown handling: Assumes markdown is complete and well-formed
  • Improved code blocks: Uses optimized rendering for static code blocks
  • Simpler rendering: Direct ReactMarkdown rendering without streaming overhead

Configuration

All standard Streamdown props work in static mode, including:

  • Custom components
  • Syntax highlighting themes
  • Mermaid diagrams
  • Plugin configuration
app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx
<Streamdown
  mode="static"
  plugins={{
    code: code,
    mermaid: mermaid,
  }}
  shikiTheme={['github-light', 'github-dark']}
  mermaid={{ config: { theme: 'neutral' } }}
>
  {content}
</Streamdown>