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Series

EmDash step by step

11 parts8 of 11 publishedabout 1.5 hours of reading

Start with part 1

Want to get going with EmDash but not quite sure where to start? This series is for you if you're just getting to know EmDash, whether you're coming from WordPress or running a CMS yourself for the first time. It reads best in order, since each part builds on the one before, but feel free to jump straight to whatever's on your mind right now.

You need

  • Node.js 22.16 or newer
  • A terminal and a little courage on the command line
  • A Cloudflare account, once your site should go online

Afterwards you can

  • Set up an EmDash site locally and get it onto Cloudflare
  • Find your way around the admin, even if you're coming from WordPress
  • Give your blog its own logo, colours and fonts
  • Create your own content types and show them on your site
  • Back up your content and update EmDash safely

All parts

8 of 11 published

  1. New to EmDash: how to get started with Cloudflare's CMS

    I set up an EmDash site the way someone new to it would: create it locally, run the setup, publish a first post and deploy it to Cloudflare. Here is the path with measured times, and the places where you can get stuck.

    Kevin Kyburz9 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  2. Coming from WordPress: where is everything in EmDash?

    You know WordPress and you're looking for the Appearance menu in the EmDash admin? I'll show you where posts, media, menus, plugins and settings ended up, explain the terms that are new to you, and tell you what simply isn't there.

    Daniel Müller9 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  3. The EmDash admin day to day: what's quick and what to decide up front

    Almost everything in the EmDash admin takes a minute. What costs you is what you can't change later: field slugs, field types and category slugs. With two languages, add a byline per language. Sort those out before your first post.

    Daniel Müller12 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  4. The template in German

    coming soon

  5. Legal notice and privacy policy: what your EmDash site needs before launch

    Before your EmDash site goes live in Germany or Switzerland, it usually needs a legal notice (Impressum) and almost always a privacy policy. I'll show you when each duty applies, how to create and link both pages without code, and which data an EmDash site on Cloudflare actually processes.

    Daniel Müller21 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  6. Logo, colours, fonts: giving your EmDash blog a face of its own

    Title, tagline, logo and favicon are set in the admin; colours and fonts live in code. Here are the three files you touch, and why your fonts come from your own domain even with the Google provider.

    Daniel Müller8 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  7. Your first custom content type: events, from the admin to your site

    Creating a content type in the admin takes a few minutes. Getting it onto your site takes two small Astro pages. I build both for an events listing and show you the order to ship them in on a live site.

    Daniel Müller10 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  8. Backing up EmDash: what the built-in backup does and what else you need

    An EmDash site needs backups too. I show you what the built-in backup does, what D1 Time Travel, the site package and a SQL dump cover, and which one actually gets you back on your feet.

    Kevin Kyburz12 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  9. How to update EmDash: get your site onto the new version safely

    EmDash's admin has no update button. An update is a deployment. I updated a site on Cloudflare and rolled it back again, and I walk you through every step, with timings and what happens to your database along the way.

    Kevin Kyburz8 min

    checked with 1.1 · current 1.2

  10. MCP

    coming soon

  11. Search, comments, contact

    coming soon