DEV Community: Farhad Hossen

Are you struggling to let non-technical clients edit SSG sites easily?

Farhad Hossen — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 07:10:17 +0000

Quick question for anyone building static sites:

Have you ever handed off a Hugo or Astro or Next.js site to a client…
and then instantly started getting messages like:

“Where do I change this text?”
“Why are my updates not live?”
“I think I broke something.”

If yes, you are not alone.
This has been the story of our lives for years.

We build websites for clients using static site generators like Hugo, Astro, and Next.js. We also manage several of our own business sites. And the pattern is always the same:

Non-technical people struggle with the SSG workflow.

For developers, the setup is beautiful.
Markdown plus Git plus a fast build pipeline is perfect.

But for non-developers, it is more like:
"Why is this so hard compared to Google Docs?"

What usually happens

When we hand off a site, the initial explanation goes well.
We show them the markdown files.
We show them the folders.
They smile and nod.

Then the questions start to flow.

“Why is my change not showing on the website?”
“What is frontmatter?”
“Where do I update this image?”
“Can you fix what I just did?”

SSGs give developers speed, control, security, and zero plugin drama.
But they are not designed around non-technical editors.

What we tried

We genuinely tried everything.

Markdown guides
Docs
Loom videos
Live Zoom training
Slack support
Prebuilt content templates

But at the end of the day, many clients still said:

"Can you update this for me?"

And honestly, we cannot blame them. Their entire writing experience in life has been shaped by Google Docs, Notion, Dropbox Paper, WordPress editors, etc.

Trying existing CMS options

We experimented with many Git-based and headless CMS tools.
Some were great but too complex.
Some required too much configuration.
Some did not work smoothly with our frameworks.
Some confused clients almost as much as the repo itself.

Eventually we spent more time supporting the tool than supporting the client.

So we built a small internal Git-based CMS

Since we have an in-house dev team, we finally built a small internal tool. Nothing huge. Just a clean, visual editor that writes directly to the repo behind the scenes.

We used it internally for a long time and it genuinely saved us hours of support every month.

We then shared it with a few clients, and they loved it.

That is when we realized the problem is bigger than just our team.

Soft launch and unexpected interest

We quietly released the tool publicly as a beta.
No launch event.
No announcements.
No marketing.

We still ended up with:

more than 400 registered users
some early paying customers
lots of helpful feedback

Clearly, many teams feel the same pain when it comes to SSG content editing.

What is Sitepins?

Sitepins is a simple Git-based content editor built for static site generators like Astro, Hugo, NextJs, 11ty, Jekyll and more.
It connects to your repo and gives non-technical editors a clean, docs-style interface to update content without touching code.

Here is the basic idea:

Developers keep their normal SSG workflow
Writers and marketers get a familiar writing experience
The system commits changes to the repo automatically

Sitepins works with anything that uses Markdown, JSON, YAML, or TOML, including:

Hugo
Astro
Next.js
11ty
Jekyll and more..

It is designed to feel as simple as Google Docs but still keep the power and flexibility of Git.

There is a free plan that works for many teams.

👉 Try Sitepins for FREE

It is still in beta, so you might see a few things we are actively improving. If you try it, please take it kindly and feel free to share any feedback.

How do you handle content editing for non-technical users?

Genuinely curious to hear from the community:

Do you teach clients Git?
Do you update the content for them?
Do you integrate a CMS?
Do you avoid SSGs for client projects?

Would love to learn what works for you and what does not.

7 Essential Tools and Resources for Astro Developers in 2025

Farhad Hossen — Sat, 12 Jul 2025 11:05:50 +0000

As of mid-2025, Astro has crossed 52,000 stars on GitHub, cementing its position as a beloved framework in the modern web development landscape.

Why Do Developers Love Astro?

A primary reason for this adoration is Astro's Islands Architecture, which enables the creation of ultra-fast websites by shipping zero client-side JavaScript by default. This approach allows developers to create interactive components (islands) that load their JavaScript independently, without slowing down the rest of the page.

Whether you're building a personal blog, a marketing site, or an e-commerce platform, Astro delivers a combination of performance and developer experience that is hard to beat.

However, like any great framework, the tools and ecosystem around it are what truly make it shine.

Here are seven essential tools and resources every Astro developer should know about in 2025.

1. Top Theme Marketplaces for Astro Projects

Many developers begin their projects with a ready-made template or boilerplate. This approach saves significant development time. Finding the right starting point can save hours, if not days, of work. Here are the best places to find free and premium Astro themes.

Top Picks:

Themefisher — A solid collection of 37+ handcrafted, high-quality Astro themes focused on startups, SaaS, and professional landing pages.
Astro's Official Themes Directory — There are 590+ free and premium themes for everything from blogs and portfolios to documentation sites created by the community.
Statichunt — Another curated directory of 400+ Hand-picked Astro themes that offers advanced filtering options to help you find exactly what you need.

Why it matters: Not every project needs to be built from scratch. These marketplaces offer production-ready templates built by a global community, perfect for rapid prototyping, client work, or simply launching your project faster.

2. Headless CMSs That Integrate Seamlessly with Astro

Astro doesn’t come with a built-in CMS and that’s a good thing. You’re free to choose what works best for your stack and content workflow.

Best CMS for Astro:

Git-based CMS: These systems store content directly in your Git repository, keeping your code and content tightly coupled.
- Sitepins — Sitepins is a Git-based headless CMS designed for websites built with modern frameworks like Astro. It features a clean WYSIWYG editor, version-controlled content workflows, and seamless integration with Astro and other static site generators.
- TinaCMS — Tina CMS is an open-source, Git-based headless content management. It allows visual content editing, making it easier for content creators to manage and update site content.
API-based (Headless) CMS: These platforms provide a separate interface for content management and deliver it to your Astro site via an API.
- Sanity — Sanity is an API-based headless CMS for Astro that provides a fully customizable content studio and powerful APIs to manage and deliver structured content seamlessly to Astro projects.
- Strapi — Strapi is an open-source, API-driven headless CMS that enables developers to create, manage, and deliver content effortlessly to Astro projects with flexible customization and a user-friendly admin interface.

Why it matters: When clients or marketing teams need a user-friendly interface for content editing, a headless CMS is the answer. These tools decouple content from code, streamline collaboration with non-technical team members, and help maintain your Astro site's high performance.

3. Component Libraries and UI Kits for Astro

Astro's flexibility allows it to integrate with major UI frameworks like React, Vue, Svelte, and Solid, giving you the freedom to build with the tools you already know. However, for rapid development, pre-built component libraries are invaluable.

Noteworthy Picks:

Flowbite for Astro — A popular UI kit built on Tailwind CSS that provides dozens of components and now offers official Astro support.
shadcn/ui (Astro) — A port of the incredibly popular shadcn/ui, this library offers beautifully designed, accessible components that you can copy and paste into your Astro projects.
Starwind — An open-source library of accessible and customizable UI components designed specifically for Astro and Tailwind CSS.

Why it matters: You don’t need to reinvent every button, modal, or dropdown. These libraries provide responsive, accessible, and pre-styled components that help you ship beautiful, professional interfaces faster.

4. Developer Tooling & Integrations

To boost productivity, a well-configured development environment is key. The Astro ecosystem offers excellent tooling to streamline your workflow.

Essential Tooling:

Official Astro VS Code Extension — A must-have for any Astro developer using VS Code. It provides syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and code completion for .astro files.
ESLint Plugin for Astro — Enforce code quality and maintain consistency across your project with this ESLint plugin, which understands Astro's unique file structure.
Prettier Plugin for Astro — Automatically format your .astro files to ensure a consistent and clean codebase, saving you from manual formatting debates.

Why it matters: Integrating these tools into your workflow reduces development friction, enforces best practices, and catches errors early. This leads to higher-quality code and a more efficient development process.

5. Hosting and Deployment Platforms for Astro

Astro's flexible output—static, server-side (SSR), or hybrid—means you have a wide range of deployment choices.

Popular Options in 2025:

Netlify — As Astro's official deployment partner, Netlify offers a seamless CI/CD pipeline and robust support for server-side and edge rendering.
Vercel — Provides first-class support for Astro, including effortless deployment of serverless and edge functions for dynamic applications.
Cloudflare Pages — An excellent choice for achieving unmatched global performance via its extensive edge network, with fast DNS and caching built-in.
GitHub Pages — A free and simple option for hosting static-only sites, personal projects, and open-source documentation.
Render — A unified cloud platform ideal for deploying full-stack applications, supporting both static Astro frontends and server-rendered backends.

Why it matters: Your choice of hosting platform directly impacts build speed, deployment workflows, scalability, and cost. Astro's direct integrations with these providers make it easy to go from local development to live production.

6. Paid Courses to Master Astro Quickly

While Astro’s official documentation is outstanding, a structured, hands-on course can accelerate the learning curve.

Top Astro Courses in 2025:

Build Modern Websites with Astro by Kevin Powell (Scrimba) — Learn Astro fundamentals and component-based design from one of the web's most respected CSS experts.
Astro & SEO: Masterclass (Udemy) — A masterclass focused on building high-performance, SEO-optimized sites with Astro, covering best practices for ranking high on search engines.

Why it matters: If you prefer video-based, project-driven learning, these courses will save you time and help you master Astro's core concepts and advanced features efficiently.

7. The Welcoming and Active Astro Community

One of Astro’s greatest strengths is its vibrant, helpful, and rapidly growing community.

Where to Connect:

Astro Discord — The main hub for the community. Ask questions, get real-time support, or just hang out with over 35,000 other developers.
r/astrojs Reddit — A place for sharing community projects, show-and-tells, and practical tips. (7700+ members)
Everything Astro — A dedicated "Squad" on the daily.dev platform, focused on curated news and content about the Astro ecosystem.

Why it matters: Direct access to a thriving community means you're never truly stuck. Whether you need help debugging an issue, want feedback on a project, or just wish to connect with fellow Astro enthusiasts, the community is an invaluable resource.

Conclusion

The Astro ecosystem is richer and more mature than ever, providing developers with all the tools needed to build exceptional websites efficiently.

Got a favorite Astro resource I missed?
Drop it in the comments, I’d love to check it out and keep this list growing.

Thanks for reading.