STATUS //
Active
STACK //
Astro 7
TypeScript
Tailwind CSS
GitHub Pages
Cloudflare
PowerShell
Gohu bitmap font
LAST UPDATED //
July 2026
Roundtable is the small publishing system behind this site.
It started as a simple customized Astro theme, then slowly turned into a
robust setup for writing plain-text Projects and Notes, previewing them
locally, and publishing everything with one command.
The goal is not to build an entire CMS. It is to keep the site fast,
readable, and easy to maintain. It should be simple enough that posting
doesn't turn into a series of meticulous tasks, just a sensible
workflow.
HOW CONTENT WORKS //
Projects and Notes are stored as plain-text files with a small block of
frontmatter at the top.
Projects live in volume-0 and use an order number to control how they
appear across the site. Notes live in volume-1 and are sorted by date.
The internal volume names are mostly just a leftover from the original
theme. Publicly, everything uses normal routes like /projects/ and
/notes/. I made sure the old volume URLs still redirect, so changing the
structure didn't leave any dead links behind.
I kept the content format intentionally minimal. There is no database,
admin panel, or web editor. A post is just a text file that can be
opened, searched, and backed up like anything else.
WRITING A POST //
I'm generally at my main Windows PC, so I do most of the writing
directly in VS Code.
Projects and Notes each have their own task for creating a new file. The
task asks for a title, creates a slugged text file in the correct
folder, adds the frontmatter, and opens it in the current VS Code
window.
Project order numbers are assigned automatically. That means I don't
have to remember the folder structure, copy an older post, or manually
update a homepage list every time I add something.
The writing itself stays simple. Rewrap keeps the line length at 72
columns, the editor inserts a final newline if needed, and the site
renderer has an 80-character safety wrap as a fallback.
PREVIEWING AND PUBLISHING //
The same workspace also has tasks for previewing and publishing the
site.
The preview task starts a local Astro server so I can check the page
before it goes live. The publishing task shows me the changed files,
runs Astro's checks, checks the project with Biome, and then builds the
site.
If something fails, the script stops before any commit is made. If
everything passes, it asks for a commit message, commits the changes,
and then pushes them to the main branch.
It never force-pushes, and it first checks whether the remote branch is
ahead before doing anything. Again, the goal is not to remove every
single manual step. It is to limit the repetitive parts while
maintaining control of the important stuff.
DEPLOYMENT //
The site is built with Astro as static files and deployed through GitHub
Pages.
Cloudflare handles the domain and DNS, while the GitHub Pages address
redirects to the custom domain. The old volume routes also redirect to
the newer public routes. The route names are mostly cosmetic, but the
redirects keep old links working.
Because the output is static, there is no application server, database,
or admin panel to worry about. Once the build passes and the changes are
pushed, GitHub Pages handles the grunt work.
SITE DESIGN //
The design is intentionally minimal. The site uses a custom textmode
layout, the Gohu bitmap font, a limited colour palette, and a few small
animations for some flair.
The homepage ASCII logo is a bit of a callback to the old scene .NFO
files. The project and note pages have Conway's Game of Life in their
headers for a fun touch. Project pages also generate their own QR codes
in the footer from each page's URL.
Most of the styling exists to support readability and a consistent
terminal look. Rather than turning every page into a flashy demo,
effects only exist to add character.