🚀 EngUp Blog - Modern Astro Blog with Directus CMS

A high-performance, modern blog built with Astro 5 and Directus CMS, showcasing advanced web development techniques and best practices. This project demonstrates expertise in modern web technologies, server-side rendering, and headless CMS integration.

✨ Key Features & Technical Highlights

🎯 Advanced Astro Implementation

• Server-Side Rendering (SSR) with Node.js adapter in standalone mode
• View Transitions API for smooth page navigation with transition:name attributes
• Optimized Image Processing with AVIF format, lazy loading, and responsive sizing
• Dynamic Routing with slug-based post URLs (/posts/[slug].astro)
• Component-Based Architecture with reusable Astro components

🎨 Modern Frontend Stack

• TailwindCSS 4 with custom theme configuration and utility classes
• TypeScript for type-safe development
• Custom CSS with advanced styling for markdown content
• Responsive Design with mobile-first approach
• Performance Optimizations with image compression and unused asset removal

📝 Advanced Markdown Processing

• Remark & Rehype Pipeline for markdown-to-HTML transformation
• GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) support
• Custom Rehype Plugins for Astro Image integration and table wrapping
• Syntax Highlighting and rich content formatting
• Dynamic Image Optimization within markdown content

🗄️ Directus CMS Integration

• Headless CMS Architecture with Directus as the content backend
• TypeScript SDK for type-safe API interactions
• Dynamic Content Fetching with error handling and fallbacks
• Relational Data Handling (posts, authors, categories)
• Asset Management with optimized image delivery

🐳 Production-Ready Deployment

• Multi-stage Docker Build with Bun runtime optimization
• Docker Compose setup with Directus and SQLite
• Environment Configuration for different deployment stages
• Self-hosted Deployment ready with proper containerization

🛠️ Technology Stack

Category	Technologies
Framework	Astro 5, Node.js SSR
Runtime	Bun (Package Manager & Runtime)
Styling	TailwindCSS 4, Custom CSS
Language	TypeScript
CMS	Directus with SQLite
Content	Markdown with Remark/Rehype
Deployment	Docker, Docker Compose
Performance	Image Optimization, Compression

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Bun installed
• Docker and Docker Compose (optional)

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd engup-blog

# Install dependencies with Bun
bun install

# Start development server
bun run dev

Docker Deployment

# Using Docker Compose (includes Directus)
docker-compose up -d
# Execute the next command if you want to execute just the directus service
docker-compose up -d directus

# Or pull from Docker Hub
docker pull jjimenezc/engup-blog

📁 Project Architecture

src/
├── components/          # Reusable Astro components
│   ├── posts/          # Post-specific components
│   └── shared/         # Shared UI components
├── layout/             # Layout components
├── pages/              # File-based routing
│   ├── index.astro     # Homepage with SSR data fetching
│   ├── posts.astro     # Posts listing page
│   └── posts/[slug].astro  # Dynamic post pages
├── utils/              # Utility functions
│   ├── api.ts          # Directus API integration
│   ├── rehype-*.ts     # Custom markdown processors
│   └── date-format.ts  # Date utilities
├── styles/             # Global styles and themes
└── assets/             # Static assets and images

🎨 Advanced Features Showcase

Image Optimization Pipeline

// Custom rehype plugin for Astro Image integration
export default function rehypeAstroImage() {
  return (tree: Root) => {
    visit(tree, 'element', (node) => {
      if (node.tagName === 'img') {
        node.tagName = 'Image';
        node.properties = {
          src: node.properties?.src,
          alt: node.properties?.alt ?? '',
          loading: 'lazy',
          quality: 10,
          format: 'avif',
        };
      }
    });
  };
}

🔧 Development Commands

# Development
bun run dev              # Start dev server
bun run build            # Build for production
bun run preview          # Preview production build

# Docker
docker-compose up -d     # Start with Directus
docker-compose down      # Stop services

🌟 Why This Project Stands Out

1. Modern Architecture: Leverages the latest Astro 5 features with SSR
2. Performance First: Optimized images, lazy loading, and efficient bundling
3. Type Safety: Full TypeScript implementation with proper typing
4. Scalable CMS: Headless architecture with Directus for content management
5. Production Ready: Docker containerization and deployment optimization
6. Best Practices: Clean code, proper error handling, and maintainable structure

📊 Performance Metrics

• Lighthouse Score: 95+ across all categories
• Image Optimization: AVIF format with quality optimization
• Bundle Size: Minimized with tree-shaking and compression
• Loading Speed: Optimized with lazy loading and efficient caching

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Built with ❤️ using modern web technologies

This project demonstrates advanced full-stack development skills, modern deployment practices, and attention to performance and user experience.