Use Astro Static Output For ABD Labs

astrostatic-siteportfolio

Context

ABD Labs needed to move beyond a hand-written marker page while keeping the public site easy to version, build and serve from nginx.

Decision

Use an Astro static site, based on the open-source Case portfolio theme, with MDX content for case studies and decision records.

Alternatives Considered

Keep a single hand-written HTML page

Pros
  • Minimal moving parts.
  • Already deployed.
Cons
  • Harder to grow into structured case studies.
  • No content collections, sitemap or reusable layouts.

Install a full CMS

Pros
  • Visual editing and non-technical content management.
  • Many plugins and themes.
Cons
  • Adds a database or admin surface.
  • Requires ongoing server-side patching for a site that can be static.

Run a custom Node app

Pros
  • Maximum flexibility.
  • Could support dynamic features later.
Cons
  • Unnecessary runtime surface for the first portfolio.
  • More deployment and monitoring work.

Reasoning

Astro gives ABD Labs a maintainable source tree, structured content and static output. nginx continues to serve only files, so the public risk profile stays close to the original marker page while the site becomes much easier to extend.

The first usable content target is not a marketing site. It is a proof layer: case studies, decisions, verification notes and public/private boundaries.

Static generation matches that job well because the important artifact is the reviewed source content, not a live editing backend.

All decisions