I’ve recently relaunched my personal blog, this time built with the Astro framework. Honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve started this journey. Each time I attempt a migration or a fresh start, I realize I haven’t kept good records of the previous iterations—the technologies used, the lessons learned, or even the content created often get lost in the shuffle.

This time, I’m hoping to do things differently. My primary goal is still to create content, but I also plan to document the “why” and “how” behind this specific build.

A Brief History of Attempts

My interest in having a personal online space dates back to around 2011, largely inspired by Matrix67 (Gu Sen) and his fascinating math blog, which I discovered through Baidu Tieba – Mathematics (like r/math in Chinese). Seeing his work sparked a desire to have my own corner of the internet to share ideas.

My first blog used some CMS technology I can barely recall, memorable only because I built a simple Android app to display its content. Like many first projects, it eventually faded due to neglect.

Later, I explored static site generators (perhaps Jekyll, Hugo, or Hexo – the details are fuzzy) hosted on GitHub Pages, a popular approach at the time. Around 2018, I tried again with WordPress hosted on a Vultr VPS, aiming to focus solely on content. However, that attempt also stalled, leaving behind only a handful of posts visible via the Internet Archive.

These repeated cycles led to frustration, and I nearly gave up on maintaining a dedicated blog altogether, opting instead for local Markdown notes.

Why Astro This Time?

Despite resolving to stop tinkering with the technology and focus on writing, the allure of a new tool pulled me back in. In 2024, I discovered Astro. Its philosophy of being “built for content” and its modern approach to building fast, content-focused websites resonated strongly with my goals for a blog.

It felt like the right fit – a framework designed specifically for use cases like mine, potentially minimizing the unnecessary complexity I’d encountered before while still offering the flexibility I enjoy as a developer.

Instead of just setting up a default theme, I treated this rebuild as a complete frontend project, investing significant time into customizing the setup and understanding Astro’s capabilities.

Looking Ahead: Documenting the Build

This time, I’m committed not only to writing content but also to writing about the process. I plan to publish a series of posts covering:

• Technical decisions made during the setup.
• Details of the implementation (theming, features, deployment).
• Challenges encountered and solutions found.

Coincidentally, around the time I started this rebuild, I noticed that Matrix67’s blog had also started updating again after a long hiatus. It felt like a small, encouraging sign.

Hopefully, this renewed effort, coupled with the decision to document the journey, will help me maintain momentum longer this time. Stay tuned for more technical details about the build.