A CMS with no database
Content lives in the repository. The client gets a normal editing interface, and every edit is a commit with full history, so a bad change is reverted rather than restored from backup.
Case Study
QiNutritionist: trilingual Astro site with a git-based CMS
Static Astro build in EN, ET and ES with automated deploys
Risto Tõldsep built qinutritionist.com as a multi-language static Astro site in English, Estonian and Spanish, with a git-based CMS so the client can edit content directly and GitHub Actions deploying every change automatically.
The challenge
QiNutritionist serves clients in three languages, English, Estonian and Spanish, and the owner needed to edit content without a developer. A full CMS would be overkill for a site of this size, and hosting one is ongoing cost and ongoing security surface.
What I built
- A static site built with Astro, so pages are plain HTML with no server to maintain or patch.
- Three fully separate language versions rather than machine-translated variants.
- A git-based CMS, so the client edits through an admin interface while every change lands as a commit.
- Automated deploys through GitHub Actions, triggered by those commits.
Technical highlights
Static output, so nothing to patch
There is no PHP, no database and no plugin surface. For a small business site that removes an entire category of maintenance and an entire category of vulnerability.
Deploys on commit
GitHub Actions rebuilds and publishes when content changes, so the client never waits on a developer to see an edit go live.
Tech stack
AstroDecap CMSGSAPGitHub ActionsStatic Site
Frequently asked questions
Can a static site have a CMS?
Yes. A git-based CMS gives the client a normal admin interface, but instead of writing to a database it commits to the repository and triggers a rebuild. You get editing without running a server.
Is a static site cheaper to run than WordPress?
Usually, yes, and the bigger saving is maintenance. No database, no plugin updates, no security patching. The tradeoff is that genuinely dynamic features need a different approach.
Related projects
Get in touch
Want to know more about me, tell me about your project, or just say hello?
Drop me a line and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.