Architecture

Understand how the model, repository, editor, and static build fit together.

9 min read

Mica follows one constraint: losing its database must never mean losing website content.

The path

The model is a plain TypeScript module. Astro imports it to create typed collections. An Astro build also writes the model as data to .mica/schema.json.

Mica reads that model from the repository and generates its navigation, tables, and forms. A save lands in a draft workspace that only the editor sees: the working tree on your machine, a draft store in the deployed CMS. An explicit Publish writes everything pending to the repository as one commit, and the push starts the existing site build.

The website never calls Mica. Mica never needs to know where the website is hosted. They meet in the repository.

The packages

@micacms/core defines fields, validation, serialization, and file layout.
@micacms/connectors reads and writes local folders, GitHub, and GitLab.
@micacms/astro connects the model and content to the Astro Content Layer.
@micacms/runtime is the API server, with no authentication of its own.
@micacms/editor-ui is the editing interface, shipped as built assets.
@micacms/auth-oidc is the OpenID Connect gate for deployments.

Two applications compose them. @micacms/editor is the local one: loopback only, no authentication code at all. @micacms/self-hosted is the Docker image, behind OpenID Connect.

Atomic changes

An entry can include JSON, rich text, and many media files. A publish writes everything pending in one commit or writes nothing. A stale revision gives a conflict response and leaves the editor's changes in the form.

Deliberate limits

Mica has no content API, GraphQL layer, media server, build webhook, page builder, or password system. These limits keep the public website independent and the editing system small.