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:
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/cjkThen import the plugins:
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/codeimport { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { code } from '@streamdown/code';
<Streamdown plugins={{ code: code }}>
{markdown}
</Streamdown># Just diagrams
npm install @streamdown/mermaidimport { Streamdown } from 'streamdown';
import { mermaid } from '@streamdown/mermaid';
<Streamdown plugins={{ mermaid: mermaid }}>
{markdown}
</Streamdown># Just math
npm install @streamdown/mathimport { 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/cjkimport { 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:
'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":
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
<Streamdown
mode="static"
plugins={{
code: code,
mermaid: mermaid,
}}
shikiTheme={['github-light', 'github-dark']}
mermaid={{ config: { theme: 'neutral' } }}
>
{content}
</Streamdown>