Resource
How a Git-backed CMS actually works
A plain-language explanation of what happens between pressing Save in the editor and a change appearing on the live site.
In a traditional CMS, page content lives in a database on a server. In a Git-backed CMS, it lives in ordinary text files inside a Git repository — the same version-control system developers use for code.
What happens when you press Save
- The editor turns your changes into an update to a Markdown file.
- That update is committed to the repository, with your name on the commit.
- The commit triggers a build, which turns the files into a static website.
- The finished pages are published to a CDN.
There is no content database to back up, patch, or break.
Why marketers might care
History is complete and honest. Every change to every page is a commit. "Who changed this and when" has an exact answer, and any page can be restored to any earlier state.
Preview matches production. The build that generates your preview is the same build that generates the live site.
The editor cannot break the design. Content is structured; layout comes from a fixed library of blocks maintained by developers.
The honest trade-offs
- Publishing is not instant — a build takes a minute or two.
- Some operations (new page types, new block designs) still need a developer.
- Editing two pages at once is fine; two people editing the same page at the same time can conflict.
This site is a working test of exactly those trade-offs.