Introduction to Page Mosaic
Page Mosaic CMS is an open-source platform optimized for AWS to efficiently host static websites.
It simplifies the process of creating, managing, and publishing content online with an emphasis on cost-effectiveness and efficient use of AWS resources.
Core Functionality
Designed for ease of use, Page Mosaic enables users to host static websites on AWS, leveraging AWS services such as S3 for file storage (images, videos, etc.) and CloudFront for content delivery network (CDN) capabilities.
It incorporates free SSL for secure connections, provided by AWS, ensuring that custom domains are both secure and easy to set up.
Admin Panel
The heart of the CMS is its admin panel, accessible directly via /admin on a user's browser. This interface allows users to upload and manage files on AWS S3, edit website content in real-time, and configure custom domains.
It supports immediate HTML page previews during editing and enables direct modifications of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript within the panel itself.
Content Editing
Page Mosaic offers a dynamic approach to content management. Users can modify website pages using input forms that feature a variety of elements, arranged into manageable blocks.
These forms are highly configurable, allowing users to specify labels, input types, and other settings.
The input data integrates seamlessly with HTML templates through Liquid JS syntax, akin to static site generators like Hugo or Jekyll, facilitating the injection of data into templates.
Static Site Generation
An embedded generator within the admin panel automatically produces and publishes HTML, CSS, and other static files to the AWS CDN.
This process includes the creation of essential service files such as sitemap.xml and robots.txt.
Deployment
The system is designed for deployment on a user's AWS account using the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) for resource creation:
Utilizing the AWS CDK, the project ensures that all resources are encapsulated within a single CloudFormation Stack.
This approach simplifies resource management, allowing for the straightforward removal of all resources associated with this stack when no longer needed.
The setup process requires just a single CLI command, making it straightforward to get started.
Cost and Efficiency
Page Mosaic prioritizes cost-effectiveness and the efficient use of AWS resources. Users pay only for the resources they consume, with the CMS architecture designed to optimize these costs.