---
created: 2026-09-09 11:54
modified: 2026-09-09 12:05
type: note
tags:
  - website
  - politics
  - portfolio
  - kontra
  - goth
  - golang
  - self-hosted
aliases:
  - Kontra
  - Kontra Day
---

# Kontra

> **Kontra** is a self-hosted news-opinion site engine. Content is plain Markdown in a git repo;
> a single static Go binary renders it into a fast, SEO-friendly editorial site; a Decap CMS admin
> (authenticated with Gitea OAuth) lets editors work in the browser; and a git-driven pull loop
> publishes changes live within ~30 seconds of a save.

**Live:** https://kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au · **Admin:** https://admin.kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au/web/admin/
**Repo (public):** https://gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au/sam/kontra

> 🗺 **Interactive architecture map:** https://maps.lab.audasmedia.com.au/kontra_day/docs/kontra-architecture-map.html
> (pan/zoom, search, route tracing, dark/light themes)

---

## What it is

A complete, self-hosted news/opinion publishing platform designed to run on the home lab:

- **Markdown-first content** — articles are `.md` files with YAML front-matter (`title`, `author`,
  `date`, `kicker`, `subject`, `template`, `featured`, …). No database to manage.
- **One static binary** — Go (golang) + templ + htmx + design-token CSS. No runtime, no Node, no PHP.
- **Three edit paths** — Obsidian vault, Neovim/CLI, or the Decap CMS browser editor. All converge on one git repo.
- **Git is the API** — full history, rollback, branch review, backups included.
- **Autopublish** — `git push` → container pulls every 30s → live. Proven for add + delete.
- **Self-hosted everything** — Gitea (origin), Garage S3 (media), Caddy (TLS), Decap (admin), Docker (runtime).

## Architecture (Mermaid)

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  subgraph editors["Content Editors"]
    O[Obsidian vault<br/>/obsidian/kontra_content] -->|git push| G
    N[Neovim / CLI] -->|git push| G
    D[Decap CMS<br/>admin.kontra.lab] -->|OAuth + git commit| G
  end

  subgraph gitea["Gitea (192.168.20.35 :3001 Docker)"]
    G[(sam/kontra-content<br/>markdown origin of truth)]
  end

  subgraph prod["Kontra container (192.168.20.13 :8600 Docker)"]
    P[git pull loop<br/>every 30s] -->|restart on change| B
    B[Go binary<br/>templ + htmx + Goldmark]
    B --> MD[(Markdown render<br/>front-matter + shortcodes)]
  end

  subgraph media["Media (Garage S3 on .13)"]
    S3[(Garage S3<br/>kontra-day bucket)]
  end

  G -->|"SSH git"| P
  B -->|"shortcode: media"| S3
  B -->|"emits HTML"| CB[Caddy master<br/>.35 :80/:443]
  CB -->|"reverse_proxy :8600"| B

  subgraph net["Network"]
    CB -->|https| WWW[kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au]
    CB -->|https| ADM[admin.kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au]
  end

  WWW -->|browser| B
  ADM -->|browser| D
```

**Interactive version:** [maps.lab](https://maps.lab.audasmedia.com.au/kontra_day/docs/kontra-architecture-map.html) ·
Rendered PNG: `docs/diagrams/kontra-architecture.png` · Mermaid source: `docs/kontra-architecture.mmd`

---

## How to use it

### As an editor
1. Open **https://admin.kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au/web/admin/** → **Login with Gitea** (your Gitea account, needs push access to `sam/kontra-content`).
2. **Articles** collection: create/edit, set subject/kicker/excerpt/featured, write Markdown body, Save.
3. Wait ~30 s — the site updates itself. No deploy step.

Or edit the files directly:
- **Obsidian vault:** `/home/sam/obsidian/kontra_content` (symlink → content repo). Open as a vault, edit markdown, the Obsidian Git plugin pushes.
- **Neovim/CLI:** clone `ssh://git@gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au:2222/sam/kontra-content.git`, edit, `git push`.

### Content model
```
content/
├── config/site.yaml          # site name, tagline, nav order
├── subjects/<slug>/
│   ├── _subject.yaml         # name, template, accent color
│   └── <slug>.md             # article (front matter + markdown)
└── pages/<slug>.md           # standalone pages
```
Template resolution: page front-matter → subject `_subject.yaml` → site config → theme fallback.
Media: `{{media:file.jpg}}` (→ Garage S3 bucket), `{{embed:vimeo:ID}}` (→ video embed).

### As an operator
- **Restart/redeploy:** `ssh sam@192.168.20.13` → `cd /home/sam/Docker/Containers/kontra && docker compose up -d --build`
- **Pull loop** lives in `entrypoint.sh` inside the container (git pull every 30s, restart on change).
- **Live site logs:** `docker logs -f kontra`
- **Content repo:** `/var/www/kontra_day/content` on .13 (mounted read-write into the container).

---

## What tools were used

| Tool | Role | Where |
|---|---|---|
| **Go (golang) 1.26** | App language — one static binary | `app/` |
| **templ v0.3** | HTML template compile-to-Go | `app/src/*.templ` |
| **htmx** | Server-rendered interactivity | templates |
| **goldmark** | CommonMark Markdown renderer | `app/src/content.go` |
| **goccy/go-yaml** | Front-matter / config parsing | `app/src/content.go` |
| **Decap CMS** | Browser admin | `app/src/web/admin/` (embedded), served at `/web/admin/` |
| **Gitea** | Git origin (both repos: `sam/kontra`, `sam/kontra-content`) | .35 Docker :3001 |
| **Garage S3** | Media objects (`kontra-day` bucket) | .13 Docker :3900 |
| **Caddy** | TLS + routing, master reverse proxy | .35 Docker :80/:443 |
| **Docker / compose** | Runtime container `kontra-kontra` | .13 |
| **Design tokens (CSS vars)** | Theming from `DESIGN.md` | `app/src/web/assets/kontra.css` |
| **Mermaid + Archify** | Architecture docs + interactive map | `docs/` |
| **Obsidian Git** | Vault auto-push | .27 |

---

## Where things are

| Thing | Location |
|---|---|
| App source + deploy + docs | `/home/sam/home_network/web_sites/kontra_day/` (.27) |
| Public repo (README, app, docs) | `https://gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au/sam/kontra` |
| Content repo (origin) | `https://gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au/sam/kontra-content` |
| Production content clone | `.13:/var/www/kontra_day/content` |
| Docker project | `.13:/home/sam/Docker/Containers/kontra/` |
| Binary (host build) | `app/bin/` after `app/build.sh` on .27 |
| Obsidian vault | `/home/sam/obsidian/kontra_content` |
| Interactive map | `https://maps.lab.audasmedia.com.au/kontra_day/docs/` |
| Plan/decisions | `PLAN.md` (repo) |
| Design system | `DESIGN.md` (repo) |

---

## Configs for the future (handover notes)

### Networking / proxy
- Master Caddy on .35 (`/Docker/Containers/caddy/Caddyfile`) → `kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au` and `admin.kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au` both `reverse_proxy 192.168.20.13:8600`.
- The .13 Caddy (port 8000) is NOT involved for Kontra — it was reverted back to pre-Kontra config (backup: `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix.bak-kontra-20260908-195305`). **Do not re-add Kontra to configuration.nix** — it now runs in Docker (NixOS service files in `/etc/systemd/system` are read-only Nix-store managed).

### Gitea / OAuth (Decap login)
- OAuth app `decap-kontra` (client id **ffe1375f-1a1b-40d2-9602-27b0f5b470fe**, non-confidential/PKCE) — in Gitea → Settings → Applications.
- Gitea CORS enabled for `https://admin.kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au` (via `GITEA__cors__*` env in `/Docker/Containers/gitea/docker-compose.yml`).
- Decap config: `app/src/web/admin/config.yml` (`backend: name: gitea`). Simple workflow only (Gitea backend does not support editorial_workflow PRs).

### Environment / secrets
- Gitea deploy token + API base: `.env` at repo root on .27 (**gitignored — never commit**). File perms 600.

### Deploy specifics
- Docker image builds Go + templ inside (`golang:1.26-bookworm`), runs on a slim runner. Port 8600.
- Container mounts content (rw) + `/home/sam/.ssh/id_ed25519` (ro) for the git pull to Gitea.
- The 30s pull loop uses `exec` so the web-server PID is always the direct child (previous bug: nested subshell caused "address already in use" on restart — fixed).

### Known-good state (verified 2026-09-09)
- Push new article → live in ~30 s. Push delete → gone in ~30 s. Clean restarts.
- `https://kontra.lab.audasmedia.com.au/` (front page with Topics grid), `/articles/<slug>`, `/subjects/<slug>` all 200.
- Admin renders the Decap login page; "Login with Gitea" → OAuth flow works.

---

*Portfolio/showcase link: https://gitea.lab.audasmedia.com.au/sam/kontra (public) — README includes the interactive map, stack, and deploy story. Map: https://maps.lab.audasmedia.com.au/kontra_day/docs/kontra-architecture-map.html*