Content in its own repository

Some websites keep the content in a repository of its own. The history, the size and the access rights of the content are then separate from the code. You mount the content repository in the website as a Git submodule.

Mica works in the repository that holds the content root. It never commits in the website repository.

Set it up

Add the content repository as a submodule. The submodule folder is the content root:

git submodule add https://github.com/acme/website-content.git content
git commit -m "Add the content as a submodule"

The model says where the content is:

export const site = defineSite({ root: "./content", collections: { /* … */ } });

The Astro build writes .mica/schema.json into the content root, so into the submodule. Commit and push it in the submodule. Then commit the new submodule pointer in the website repository:

git -C content add .mica/schema.json
git -C content commit -m "Update the model"
git -C content push
git add content && git commit -m "Use the new model"

For the self-hosted editor, the content must be in a folder of the content repository, such as content/ inside it. Mica refuses a content repository whose top is the content root. Then the submodule is at site-content, and the model has root: "./site-content/content".

The local editor

Run npx @micacms/editor start as usual. Save, Publish and the push go to the content repository, because Mica finds the repository with git rev-parse --show-toplevel in the content root.

A submodule is usually on a detached HEAD after git submodule update. A commit on a detached HEAD is on no branch, so no push can send it, and the next git submodule update hides it. So Mica does not publish then. The start banner and the Publish page give the command that fixes it:

git -C content switch main

After that, Publish works. Your drafts stay drafts until then.

The website build

Mica never changes the submodule pointer in the website repository. The build gets the newest content itself:

git submodule update --init --remote content

In GitHub Actions, actions/checkout with submodules: true checks out the pointer of the website commit. Add the --remote update for the newest content:

- uses: actions/checkout@v4
  with:
    submodules: true
    lfs: true   # only when the content uses Git LFS
- run: git submodule update --init --remote content

A publish pushes to the content repository, so the website does not build by itself. Mica adds no build webhook. Let a workflow in the content repository start the website build, or build the website on a schedule.

The self-hosted editor

• MICA_REPOSITORY_URL is the URL of the content repository, not of the website.
• The content must be in a folder of that repository. Set MICA_CONTENT_PATH if there is more than one content root.
• Mica clones the content repository only. It never fetches submodules.
• A model change needs two commits: the .mica/schema.json in the content repository, and the new pointer in the website. The editor shows the old model until the schema is in the content repository.

Git LFS

Git LFS works in the content repository. See Large files with Git LFS.

Next

Set up the self-hosted editor: Self-hosting. Move the content of an existing site: Add Mica to an existing site.