Ship's log
Log entries
Field notes from the chart room — on self-hosting, curation, and how this directory is run.Subscribe via RSS.
- How to build a directory website with Astro, Cloudflare Workers, and D1The full architecture behind this site — real full-text search, moderated submissions, an admin panel — on infrastructure that costs nothing until it grows.
- What a directory website costs to run — and how it pays for itselfA niche directory can run on $0 of infrastructure and earn from day one with featured slots. The honest numbers, from the site you are reading.
- How featured slots work (and what they never do)Featured placement is time-boxed, plainly labeled, and never touches search ranking or editorial copy. Here is the exact mechanics.
- Self-hosting your first three servicesStart with a reverse proxy, a photo archive, and automatic backups — in that order. Everything else is optional until these are boring.
- Why an almanac, not an awesome listAwesome lists rot silently. A directory earns its keep by curating, pruning, and telling you when something was last verified.