Setting Up a Content Repository for Ode

Ode separates code and content so you can keep your writing clean, portable, and easy to deploy. This guide explains how to create a content-only repository and connect it to an Ode deployment.

1. What This Repository Contains

note

For theming and visual customization, see THEMING.md

Your content repo mirrors the public/ directory structure:

config.yaml
content/
  intro.md
  pieces/
  pages/
favicon.ico (optional)

Example content/pieces/example.md:

---
title: "Example Piece"
slug: "example-piece"
date: 2025-01-01
collections: ["essays"]
---

Your writing here.

note

The description key in frontmatter is optional. If provided, it will be used as the RSS feed description for this piece or page. If not, a default will be generated automatically with the syntax: A piece from siteTitle | (first line of your piece)

2. Clone the Content Repo on Your Server

Choose a directory for your site content:

cd /srv
git clone git@github.com:YOUR_USER/YOUR_CONTENT_REPO.git my-ode-site

This directory will be mounted into the Ode container.

3. Connect Content to Ode With Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml and mount the content repository using an absolute path:

services:
  ode:
    image: ghcr.io/deepanshkhurana/ode:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:4173"
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /srv/my-ode-site:/app/public

note

Use an absolute path for the volume mount. Relative paths may not work correctly with tools like Portainer.

Start the container:

docker compose up -d

The container will build and serve your site. Restart to rebuild after content changes:

docker compose restart ode

4. (Optional) Auto-Deploy Content via GitHub Actions

Add this file in your content repo at .github/workflows/deploy.yml:

name: Deploy Ode content

on:
  push:
    branches: ["main"]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Update content on server
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v1.0.3
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
          username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
          key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
          port: ${{ secrets.SSH_PORT }}
          script: |
            cd /srv/my-ode-site
            git pull
            docker restart YOUR_CONTAINER_NAME

5. GitHub Secrets (Required)

Add these in your content repo under:

Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions

Secret	Description
SSH_HOST	Server IP or domain
SSH_USER	User with SSH + Docker access
SSH_KEY	Private SSH key
SSH_PORT	SSH port (usually 22)

Ensure the public key is added to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on your server.

6. Alternative: Portainer Webhook

If using Portainer, you can use a webhook instead of SSH:

1. In Portainer, go to your container → Webhooks
2. Enable and copy the webhook URL
3. Create .github/workflows/deploy.yml:

name: Deploy Ode content

on:
  push:
    branches: ["main"]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Pull content and restart
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v1.0.3
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
          username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
          key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
          port: ${{ secrets.SSH_PORT }}
          script: |
            cd /srv/my-ode-site
            git pull

      - name: Trigger Portainer Webhook
        run: curl -X POST "${{ secrets.PORTAINER_WEBHOOK_URL }}"

Add PORTAINER_WEBHOOK_URL to your repo secrets.

7. Deployment Flow

1. You push new content
2. GitHub Action runs
3. Server pulls latest content
4. Container restarts
5. Site rebuilds with new content

8. Manual Commands (For Debugging)

# Pull latest content
cd /srv/my-ode-site
git pull

# Restart container
docker restart YOUR_CONTAINER_NAME

# Check logs
docker logs YOUR_CONTAINER_NAME --tail 50

Summary

• Keep content in a separate repo mirroring public/ structure
• Mount the entire repo to /app/public in the container
• Use GitHub Actions for auto-deploy on push
• Restart the container to rebuild with new content