Create a Custom Blog with Astro & NetlifyCMS in MINUTES!

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Creating a Custom Blog with Astro & NetlifyCMS

Part 1: Setting up Astro Project

1. Open your terminal.
2. Run the command npm create astro@latest to initialize a new Astro project with the latest version.
3. Provide a name for your project and select the desired template.
4. Install the required packages and create a new git repository.
5. Choose the level of strictness for the TypeScript checker.
6. Run npm run dev to start the project on a local development server.

Part 2: Understanding Astro Project Structure

1. Explore the folder structure which includes components, layouts, and pages folders.
2. Pages represent individual pages of the website.
3. Layouts are used to wrap components and form a complete page.
4. Components define specific parts of the user interface.

Part 3: Working with Markdown Files

1. Navigate to the index.astro file, the root page of the website.
2. Observe the JavaScript code enclosed between three dashes at the top.
3. Explore the markdown files in the blog folder for content.
4. Leverage markdown rendering for creating blogs or marketing pages easily.

Part 4: Integrating Netlify for Deployment

1. Initialize a new repository and push your code.
2. Create an account on Netlify.
3. Add a new site from an existing project and connect your GitHub repository.
4. Ensure correct build settings and deploy the site.
5. Once deployed, your website will be live on a generated domain.

Part 5: Implementing NetlifyCMS

1. Create an admin folder in the public directory with index.html and config.yml files.
2. Populate the config.yml file with required values like Git gateway and publish mode.
3. Define collections and contents for the CMS to access.
4. Configure Netlify Identity for user authentication.
5. Add external providers like GitHub or Google for user login.
6. Enable Git Gateway service for pushing commits to the repository.

Part 6: Managing Content with NetlifyCMS

1. Log in to NetlifyCMS using the provided authentication method.
2. Edit existing posts or create new blog posts using the defined data structures.
3. Upload images, write content in rich text format, and save drafts.
4. Update the status of the post to "ready" for publishing.
5. Click the publish button to push a new commit and trigger a new build on Netlify.

By following these steps, you can create a custom blog using Astro and manage content efficiently with NetlifyCMS.