wiki-vault/Sources/Dev/pbs-design-sandbox.md

2.5 KiB

created path project tags type
2026-05-28 Sources/Dev pbs-design-sandbox
pbs
astro
design
prototyping
traefik
project-plan

Goal

A fast, low-friction prototyping sandbox for iterating on custom PBS design ideas — speed of iteration is the whole point, and explicitly not tied to WordPress. Distinct from the existing Linode WP staging mirror (which Travis already has); this is for trying custom ideas quickly, "closer" than a cloud redeploy each time.

Locked Decisions

  • Not WordPress. WP is the opposite of fast design iteration; this sandbox is decoupled from it.
  • Separate from the Linode WP staging mirror — that already exists and serves WP staging; this is a different need.
  • Speed-of-iteration is the priority that drives tooling choices.

Open Items

  • What the custom ideas actually are — Travis deferred explaining ("I can explain the custom ideas later"). Candidates that came up: the membership "Garden" UI, a custom PBS front-end, recipe-cards/seed-packets, landing/marketing pages. This is the key unknown that shapes everything.
  • Framework — Astro is the lead recommendation for a content/recipe brand (component-based, content-first, ships static). Alternatives already scaffolded in the project-scaffolding skill: React+Vite, Hono, T3.
  • Local-only vs hosted preview — pure local hot-reload (fastest loop) vs also a homelab preview route to view on devices / share.

Phases

Rough shape discussed (two layers):

  1. Dev loop (speed): a modern component framework with hot-reload — edit → instant browser refresh, no DB/migration. Runs locally = fastest loop. Astro lead pick; one command via the project-scaffolding skill.
  2. Preview layer ("closer" + shareable): optional homelab-hosted preview at design.herbylab.dev (or sandbox.*) behind the existing Traefik + Cloudflare + Authentik — auth-gated, instant, nearly free since the plumbing exists. A static build behind Traefik, not a heavy VM.

Notes

  • "Not tied to WordPress" ≠ cut off from content: prototypes can pull live recipes via the WP REST API headlessly if they need to feel real, without being a WP site.
  • Assets already in place that make this cheap: the project-scaffolding skill (Astro/React+Vite/Hono/T3), and the homelab Traefik + Cloudflare DNS-01 + Authentik stack for instant auth-gated *.herbylab.dev previews.
  • Source: discussion on 2026-05-27 (Lovebug/Dispatch chat). Idea-stage; flesh out once Travis details the custom ideas.