diff --git a/src/client/app/exports.ts b/src/client/app/exports.ts
index de39bee1c8c5..f5d84533eb09 100644
--- a/src/client/app/exports.ts
+++ b/src/client/app/exports.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ export * from './theme'
 // composables
 export { useSiteData } from './composables/siteData'
 export { usePageData } from './composables/pageData'
-export { useRouter, useRoute } from './router'
+export { useRouter, useRoute, Router, Route } from './router'
 
 // components
 export { Content } from './components/Content'
diff --git a/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.ts b/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.ts
index 34af2c2dac69..4edb86f7d585 100644
--- a/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.ts
+++ b/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { useSiteData, usePageData, useRoute } from 'vitepress'
-import { computed, h, FunctionalComponent } from 'vue'
+import { computed, h, FunctionalComponent, VNode } from 'vue'
 import { Header } from '../../../../types/shared'
+import { isActive } from '../utils'
 import { DefaultTheme } from '../config'
 import { useActiveSidebarLinks } from '../composables/activeSidebarLink'
 
@@ -10,14 +11,16 @@ const SideBarItem: FunctionalComponent<{
   const {
     item: { link, text, children }
   } = props
-  return h('li', [
-    h('a', { href: link }, text),
-    children
-      ? h(
-          'ul',
-          children.map((c) => h(SideBarItem, { item: c }))
-        )
-      : null
+
+  const route = useRoute()
+  const pageData = usePageData()
+
+  const active = isActive(route, link)
+  const headers = pageData.value.headers
+
+  return h('li', { class: 'sidebar-item' }, [
+    createLink(active, text, link),
+    createChildren(active, children, headers)
   ])
 }
 
@@ -67,6 +70,10 @@ export default {
   }
 }
 
+interface HeaderWithChildren extends Header {
+  children?: Header[]
+}
+
 type ResolvedSidebar = ResolvedSidebarItem[]
 
 interface ResolvedSidebarItem {
@@ -104,7 +111,7 @@ function resolveArraySidebar(
   config: DefaultTheme.SideBarItem[],
   depth: number
 ): ResolvedSidebar {
-  return []
+  return config
 }
 
 function resolveMultiSidebar(
@@ -114,3 +121,59 @@ function resolveMultiSidebar(
 ): ResolvedSidebar {
   return []
 }
+
+function createLink(active: boolean, text: string, link?: string): VNode {
+  const tag = link ? 'a' : 'p'
+
+  const component = {
+    class: { 'sidebar-link': true, active },
+    href: link
+  }
+
+  return h(tag, component, text)
+}
+
+function createChildren(
+  active: boolean,
+  children?: ResolvedSidebarItem[],
+  headers?: Header[]
+): VNode | null {
+  if (children && children.length > 0) {
+    return h(
+      'ul',
+      { class: 'sidebar-items' },
+      children.map((c) => {
+        return h(SideBarItem, { item: c })
+      })
+    )
+  }
+
+  return active && headers
+    ? createChildren(false, resolveHeaders(headers))
+    : null
+}
+
+function resolveHeaders(headers: Header[]): ResolvedSidebarItem[] {
+  return mapHeaders(groupHeaders(headers))
+}
+
+function groupHeaders(headers: Header[]): HeaderWithChildren[] {
+  headers = headers.map((h) => Object.assign({}, h))
+  let lastH2: HeaderWithChildren
+  headers.forEach((h) => {
+    if (h.level === 2) {
+      lastH2 = h
+    } else if (lastH2) {
+      ;(lastH2.children || (lastH2.children = [])).push(h)
+    }
+  })
+  return headers.filter((h) => h.level === 2)
+}
+
+function mapHeaders(headers: HeaderWithChildren[]): ResolvedSidebarItem[] {
+  return headers.map((header) => ({
+    text: header.title,
+    link: `#${header.slug}`,
+    children: header.children ? mapHeaders(header.children) : undefined
+  }))
+}
diff --git a/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.vue b/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.vue
index 0e44829a9abb..8ce13fddd396 100644
--- a/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.vue
+++ b/src/client/theme-default/components/SideBar.vue
@@ -1,43 +1,61 @@
 <template>
-  <div class="sidebar">
-    <ul>
-      <SideBarItem v-for="item of items" :item="item"></SideBarItem>
-    </ul>
-  </div>
+  <ul class="sidebar">
+    <SideBarItem v-for="item of items" :item="item" />
+  </ul>
 </template>
 
 <script src="./SideBar"></script>
 
 <style>
-.sidebar ul {
+.sidebar,
+.sidebar-items {
   list-style-type: none;
   line-height: 2;
   padding: 0;
   margin: 0;
 }
 
-.sidebar a {
-  display: inline-block;
-  color: var(--text-color);
-  padding-left: 1.5rem;
+.sidebar-items .sidebar-items {
+  padding-left: 1rem;
 }
 
-.sidebar a:hover {
-  color: var(--accent-color);
+.sidebar-items .sidebar-items .sidebar-link {
+  border-left: 0;
 }
 
-.sidebar a.active {
-  color: var(--accent-color);
+.sidebar-items .sidebar-items .sidebar-link.active {
   font-weight: 500;
 }
 
-.sidebar > ul > li > a.active {
-  padding-left: 1.25rem;
-  border-left: .25rem solid var(--accent-color);
+.sidebar-items .sidebar-link {
+  padding: .35rem 1rem .35rem 2rem;
+  line-height: 1.4;
+  font-size: 0.9em;
+  font-weight: 400;
 }
 
-.sidebar ul ul {
-  font-size: 0.9em;
-  padding-left: 1rem;
+.sidebar-link {
+  display: block;
+  margin: 0;
+  border-left: .25rem solid transparent;
+  padding: .35rem 1.5rem .35rem 1.25rem;
+  line-height: 1.7;
+  font-size: 1em;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--text-color);
+}
+
+a.sidebar-link {
+  transition: color .15s ease;
+}
+
+a.sidebar-link:hover {
+  color: var(--accent-color);
+}
+
+a.sidebar-link.active {
+  border-left-color: var(--accent-color);
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--accent-color);
 }
 </style>
diff --git a/src/client/theme-default/utils.ts b/src/client/theme-default/utils.ts
index 4b644c3f9ab7..4c6aee47dca2 100644
--- a/src/client/theme-default/utils.ts
+++ b/src/client/theme-default/utils.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,23 @@
-import { useSiteData } from 'vitepress'
+import { useSiteData, Route } from 'vitepress'
+
+export const hashRE = /#.*$/
+export const extRE = /\.(md|html)$/
 
 export function withBase(path: string) {
   return (useSiteData().value.base + path).replace(/\/+/g, '/')
 }
+
+export function isActive(route: Route, path?: string): boolean {
+  if (path === undefined) {
+    return false
+  }
+
+  const routePath = normalize(route.path)
+  const pagePath = normalize(path)
+
+  return routePath === pagePath
+}
+
+export function normalize(path: string): string {
+  return decodeURI(path).replace(hashRE, '').replace(extRE, '')
+}
diff --git a/src/node/server.ts b/src/node/server.ts
index 10f6683c54c0..e9724010dee4 100644
--- a/src/node/server.ts
+++ b/src/node/server.ts
@@ -43,8 +43,7 @@ function createVitePressPlugin({
           customData: {
             path: resolver.fileToRequest(file),
             pageData
-          },
-          timestamp: Date.now()
+          }
         })
 
         // reload the content component