I'm Earle, a senior web developer and architect in Sarasota. I write practical deep dives on running React and Web Components inside WordPress, building admin pages that feel like real software, and front-end architecture that actually holds up.
static_sites:
- build_command: npm run build
environment_slug: node-js
github:
branch: main
deploy_on_push: true
repo: your-repo-name
name: your-app-name
output_dir: dist
source_dir: /Astro's docs skip DigitalOcean, and DigitalOcean's autodetection assumes you want a Node server. Here is the path to a fully static deploy for about five dollars a month.
Read the articleAstro's docs skip DigitalOcean, and DigitalOcean's autodetection assumes you want a Node server. Here is the path to a fully static deploy for about five dollars a month.
Step 2Gutenberg ships its own pinned React. Here's the mental model Earle uses to mount React islands in the block editor without the two worlds fighting over the DOM.
Step 3Custom elements give you a framework-agnostic seam for dropping modern UI into a theme you would rather not rewrite. Shadow DOM, slots, and the gotchas that bite in production.
Gutenberg ships its own pinned React. Here's the mental model Earle uses to mount React islands in the block editor without the two worlds fighting over the DOM.
Web ComponentsCustom elements give you a framework-agnostic seam for dropping modern UI into a theme you would rather not rewrite. Shadow DOM, slots, and the gotchas that bite in production.
WordPressThe settings-page-as-SPA approach: routing, the data store, REST endpoints, and nonce handling without dragging in a second state library.
ToolingA lean build setup that respects WordPress bundled dependencies and keeps your sanity intact. Config, externals, aliases, and the dev loop.
WordPress still powers a huge slice of the web. The interesting work is making it carry modern front-end architecture without pretending it's something it isn't.
I'm Earle, a senior WordPress developer in Sarasota. I write here about the space between WordPress and modern JavaScript, the patterns that survive production, and the ones I ended up ripping out after they looked fine in a demo.
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