The Build Phase

Our primary framework: Astro.js

We build with Astro.js — a modern web framework designed specifically for content-focused sites. Astro's defining feature is that it outputs pure static HTML by default, with zero JavaScript sent to the browser unless explicitly needed. The result: sites that load in milliseconds, score consistently at the top of performance benchmarks, and have no runtime overhead to manage. Every CTDev site is built on Astro unless there is a specific reason to choose otherwise.

• Static HTML output — pages are pre-built, not rendered on every request
• Zero client-side JS by default — only what the page actually needs gets sent
• Top Core Web Vitals scores — LCP, FCP, CLS, TBT all optimised by design
• Built-in support for Markdown, MDX, and component-based architecture
• Deploys as static files — compatible with Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, Netlify, and more

What "static" actually means

A static website is a collection of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. When a visitor loads your site, they receive those files directly from a CDN — no server runs code, no database is queried, nothing is assembled on the fly. This has several practical consequences:

• Speed — files are cached at edge locations worldwide; load times are consistently fast regardless of server location
• Security — no server-side execution means no attack surface for SQL injection, remote code execution, or CMS exploits
• Cost — static files on Cloudflare Pages are served for free; no monthly hosting invoice
• Reliability — nothing to crash, restart, or go down; uptime is determined by Cloudflare's infrastructure, not a server we maintain

What the build process looks like

Once the consult phase is done and direction is agreed, we move straight into building. Here is how it typically goes:

• We set up the project, structure the pages, and build out the full design in code
• You receive a staging link to review the draft — usually within a week for a Starter project
• You submit feedback; we apply the revision round
• Final version is reviewed and signed off
• We hand off the codebase and deploy to your Cloudflare Pages account

No lock-in, no hidden dependencies

You own everything we build. The code lives in a GitHub repository under your account. There is no proprietary CMS, no platform subscription, no licence to renew. If you ever want to take the project elsewhere or hand it to another developer, you can — the code is standard HTML, CSS, and TypeScript. We build things we would be comfortable inheriting ourselves.