Jun 15, 2026 · Astro · reflection

Choosing Astro over Next.js

A sample field note. I default to Next.js, but for a content-first site Astro is the better-fit tool — simpler, faster, less to maintain. The fundamentals carry over, so the learning cost was low. The bigger lesson was about taste: choosing the right tool for the job is a more mature instinct than reaching for the one hammer I already know.

Lesson Pick the right-sized tool for the job, not the most familiar one.

Jun 15, 2026 · Astro content collections · experiment

Typed content with collections

A sample field note. Moved the bookshelf to typed Markdown files with a schema. A bad value (say, a status that isn't in the allowed list) now fails the build loudly instead of silently breaking a page — surprisingly reassuring.

Lesson Let the schema catch your typos.