[grade=A] Add DashCaddy blog and LLM install map

src/app/blog/[slug]/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+import fs from "fs";
+import path from "path";
+import Link from "next/link";
+import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
+import { marked } from "marked";
+import Navbar from "@/components/Navbar";
+import Footer from "@/components/Footer";
+import { POSTS } from "@/content/blog/manifest";
+
+export const dynamicParams = false;
+
+const BLOG_DIR = path.join(process.cwd(), "src", "content", "blog");
+
+export function generateStaticParams() {
+  // Fail the build loudly if a manifest entry has no matching markdown file —
+  // prevents a future publisher from registering a post it never wrote.
+  for (const p of POSTS) {
+    if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(BLOG_DIR, `${p.slug}.md`))) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `blog: manifest slug "${p.slug}" has no src/content/blog/${p.slug}.md`
+      );
+    }
+  }
+  // Reverse guard: reject orphaned markdown files not represented in POSTS, so a
+  // stray/forgotten draft can't silently ship without an index entry.
+  const slugs = new Set(POSTS.map((p) => p.slug));
+  for (const f of fs.readdirSync(BLOG_DIR)) {
+    if (f.endsWith(".md") && !slugs.has(f.replace(/\.md$/, ""))) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `blog: orphaned src/content/blog/${f} has no POSTS manifest entry`
+      );
+    }
+  }
+  return POSTS.map((p) => ({ slug: p.slug }));
+}
+
+function getPost(slug: string) {
+  return POSTS.find((p) => p.slug === slug) ?? null;
+}
+
+function readBody(slug: string): string | null {
+  const file = path.join(BLOG_DIR, `${slug}.md`);
+  if (!fs.existsSync(file)) return null;
+  return fs.readFileSync(file, "utf8");
+}
+
+function formatDate(iso: string): string {
+  return new Date(iso + "T00:00:00Z").toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
+    year: "numeric",
+    month: "long",
+    day: "numeric",
+    timeZone: "UTC",
+  });
+}
+
+export async function generateMetadata({
+  params,
+}: {
+  params: Promise<{ slug: string }>;
+}) {
+  const { slug } = await params;
+  const post = getPost(slug);
+  if (!post) return { title: "Post not found — DashCaddy Blog" };
+  return {
+    title: `${post.title} — DashCaddy Blog`,
+    description: post.description,
+    alternates: { canonical: `https://dashcaddy.net/blog/${post.slug}/` },
+    openGraph: {
+      title: post.title,
+      description: post.description,
+      type: "article",
+      url: `https://dashcaddy.net/blog/${post.slug}/`,
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async function BlogPostPage({
+  params,
+}: {
+  params: Promise<{ slug: string }>;
+}) {
+  const { slug } = await params;
+  const post = getPost(slug);
+  const body = post ? readBody(slug) : null;
+  if (!post || body === null) notFound();
+
+  const html = marked.parse(body, { async: false }) as string;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="flex min-h-screen flex-col bg-surface-950 text-surface-50">
+      <Navbar />
+
+      <article className="relative py-16 sm:py-20">
+        <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
+          <Link
+            href="/blog"
+            className="mb-8 inline-block text-sm text-brand-400 hover:text-brand-300"
+          >
+            ← All posts
+          </Link>
+
+          <header className="mb-10 border-b border-surface-800 pb-8">
+            <div className="mb-3 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3 text-sm text-surface-400">
+              <time dateTime={post.date}>{formatDate(post.date)}</time>
+              <span aria-hidden>·</span>
+              <span>{post.readingMinutes} min read</span>
+              <span aria-hidden>·</span>
+              <span>{post.author}</span>
+            </div>
+            <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold sm:text-4xl">{post.title}</h1>
+            <div className="mt-4 flex flex-wrap gap-2">
+              {post.tags.map((tag) => (
+                <span
+                  key={tag}
+                  className="rounded-full bg-surface-800 px-3 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-surface-300"
+                >
+                  {tag}
+                </span>
+              ))}
+            </div>
+          </header>
+
+          <div
+            className="blog-prose"
+            dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: html }}
+          />
+        </div>
+      </article>
+
+      <Footer />
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/app/blog/page.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+import Link from "next/link";
+import Navbar from "@/components/Navbar";
+import Footer from "@/components/Footer";
+import { POSTS } from "@/content/blog/manifest";
+
+export const metadata = {
+  title: "Blog — DashCaddy",
+  description:
+    "Guides, product updates, and self-hosting deep-dives from the DashCaddy team: AI-powered deployment, the MCP server, security, and fleet management.",
+  alternates: { canonical: "https://dashcaddy.net/blog/" },
+};
+
+function formatDate(iso: string): string {
+  return new Date(iso + "T00:00:00Z").toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
+    year: "numeric",
+    month: "long",
+    day: "numeric",
+    timeZone: "UTC",
+  });
+}
+
+export default function BlogIndexPage() {
+  const posts = [...POSTS].sort((a, b) => (a.date < b.date ? 1 : -1));
+  return (
+    <div className="flex min-h-screen flex-col bg-surface-950 text-surface-50">
+      <Navbar />
+
+      <section className="relative py-16 sm:py-20 lg:py-24">
+        <div className="absolute inset-0 -z-10">
+          <div className="absolute left-1/2 top-1/2 h-96 w-96 -translate-x-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 animate-pulse rounded-full bg-brand-500/20 opacity-30 blur-3xl" />
+        </div>
+        <div className="mx-auto max-w-4xl px-4 text-center sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
+          <h1 className="mb-6 text-4xl font-bold sm:text-5xl">
+            The DashCaddy <span className="text-brand-400">Blog</span>
+          </h1>
+          <p className="mx-auto max-w-2xl text-xl text-surface-300">
+            Self-hosting deep-dives, product updates, and practical guides to
+            running your own infrastructure.
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </section>
+
+      <section className="relative pb-20">
+        <div className="mx-auto max-w-4xl px-4 sm:px-6 lg:px-8">
+          {posts.length === 0 ? (
+            <p className="text-center text-surface-400">No posts yet — check back soon.</p>
+          ) : (
+            <ul className="space-y-6">
+              {posts.map((post) => (
+                <li key={post.slug}>
+                  <Link
+                    href={`/blog/${post.slug}`}
+                    className="glass-card block rounded-xl p-6 transition-colors hover:border-brand-500/30"
+                  >
+                    <div className="mb-2 flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3 text-xs text-surface-400">
+                      <time dateTime={post.date}>{formatDate(post.date)}</time>
+                      <span aria-hidden>·</span>
+                      <span>{post.readingMinutes} min read</span>
+                    </div>
+                    <h2 className="mb-2 text-2xl font-semibold text-white">
+                      {post.title}
+                    </h2>
+                    <p className="mb-4 text-surface-300">{post.description}</p>
+                    <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-2">
+                      {post.tags.map((tag) => (
+                        <span
+                          key={tag}
+                          className="rounded-full bg-surface-800 px-3 py-1 text-xs font-medium text-surface-300"
+                        >
+                          {tag}
+                        </span>
+                      ))}
+                    </div>
+                  </Link>
+                </li>
+              ))}
+            </ul>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      </section>
+
+      <Footer />
+    </div>
+  );
+}

src/app/docs/installation/page.tsx

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ curl -fsSL https://get.dashcaddy.net | bash -s -- quick`}</code></pre>
           <li><strong>Detect your environment</strong> — operating system, package manager, free disk space, available memory, public and LAN IP addresses</li>
           <li><strong>Install prerequisites</strong> — Docker Engine and the Docker Compose plugin if missing</li>
           <li><strong>Write configuration</strong> — generates <code>/etc/dashcaddy/</code>, <code>/opt/dockerdata/</code>, and the DashCaddy config file with sensible defaults</li>
-          <li><strong>Pull the DashCaddy container image</strong> — fetches the latest release from the public registry</li>
+          <li><strong>Build the DashCaddy container image</strong> — fetches the source (release tarball or git) and runs <code>docker-compose build</code></li>
           <li><strong>Start the DashCaddy container</strong> — launches <code>dashcaddy-api</code> on port 3001, mounts persistent data volumes</li>
           <li><strong>Health check</strong> — waits for the API to respond on <code>/healthz</code> before continuing</li>
           <li><strong>Print the access URL</strong> — shows the dashboard address and any follow-up commands</li>

src/app/globals.css

@@ -133,3 +133,78 @@ body {
 .theme-toggle:hover {
   background-color: var(--color-surface-800);
 }
+
+/* Blog post typography (rendered markdown via .blog-prose) */
+.blog-prose {
+  color: var(--color-surface-200);
+  line-height: 1.75;
+  font-size: 1.05rem;
+}
+.blog-prose h2 {
+  color: #fff;
+  font-size: 1.6rem;
+  font-weight: 700;
+  margin-top: 2.25rem;
+  margin-bottom: 0.9rem;
+  line-height: 1.3;
+}
+.blog-prose h3 {
+  color: #fff;
+  font-size: 1.25rem;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  margin-top: 1.75rem;
+  margin-bottom: 0.6rem;
+}
+.blog-prose p {
+  margin-bottom: 1.25rem;
+}
+.blog-prose a {
+  color: var(--color-brand-400);
+  text-decoration: underline;
+  text-underline-offset: 2px;
+}
+.blog-prose a:hover {
+  color: var(--color-brand-300);
+}
+.blog-prose strong {
+  color: #fff;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+.blog-prose ul,
+.blog-prose ol {
+  margin: 0 0 1.25rem 1.5rem;
+}
+.blog-prose ul {
+  list-style: disc;
+}
+.blog-prose ol {
+  list-style: decimal;
+}
+.blog-prose li {
+  margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+}
+.blog-prose code {
+  background-color: var(--color-surface-800);
+  padding: 0.15rem 0.4rem;
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  font-size: 0.9em;
+}
+.blog-prose pre {
+  background-color: var(--color-surface-900);
+  border: 1px solid var(--color-surface-800);
+  border-radius: 10px;
+  padding: 1rem 1.25rem;
+  overflow-x: auto;
+  margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+}
+.blog-prose pre code {
+  background: none;
+  padding: 0;
+}
+.blog-prose blockquote {
+  border-left: 3px solid var(--color-brand-500);
+  padding-left: 1rem;
+  color: var(--color-surface-300);
+  font-style: italic;
+  margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
+}

src/components/Navbar.tsx

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export default function Navbar() {
     { href: '/features', label: 'Features' },
     { href: '/pricing', label: 'Pricing' },
     { href: '/docs', label: 'Docs' },
+    { href: '/blog', label: 'Blog' },
     { href: '/about', label: 'About' },
   ];
 

src/content/blog/deploy-self-hosted-apps-with-ai.md

@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+Self-hosting has always carried a tax: every app you want to run means a new
+container to configure, a reverse proxy to wire up, a certificate to issue, and a
+dashboard to babysit. DashCaddy was built to erase that tax — and the clearest
+example is the **AI Intent Router**, which lets you describe what you want in
+plain English and have it deployed, secured, and running.
+
+## From a sentence to a running service
+
+Traditional self-hosting asks you to think like an operator: pick an image, map
+the ports, mount the volumes, set the environment, then hand-write a reverse-proxy
+block and chase down a TLS certificate. DashCaddy collapses that into intent.
+
+Instead of memorizing flags, you tell DashCaddy what you're trying to accomplish.
+The AI Intent Router turns that plain-English request into a structured deploy
+intent matched to one of DashCaddy's **77 pre-configured application templates**;
+the deploy flow then provisions the service with sane defaults — container,
+networking, and TLS via DashCaddy's built-in CA and Caddy. The result is a
+working, HTTPS-secured app instead of a half-finished `docker run` command.
+
+## 77 one-click templates, not a blank canvas
+
+A blank Docker host is powerful and unforgiving. DashCaddy ships **77 one-click
+templates** spanning media servers, productivity tools, developer platforms,
+networking and DNS utilities, and more. Each template encodes the knowledge that
+usually lives in a dozen browser tabs: a working default port and a health check,
+wired and ready to run.
+
+Because the templates are curated rather than improvised, "install Nextcloud" or
+"set up a Git server" becomes a single action — deployable from the dashboard or
+the REST API.
+
+## Built for AI assistants: the MCP server
+
+DashCaddy doesn't just use AI internally — it exposes itself *to* AI. The built-in
+**MCP (Model Context Protocol) server** gives an AI assistant a set of named tools
+— among them listing your services, checking service and system health, searching
+the app catalog, and running container actions — over a standard protocol. Instead
+of translating intent into API calls by hand, you can let an assistant do the
+work. Self-hosting becomes something you can delegate.
+
+## A real platform underneath: 400+ registered REST route handlers
+
+The friendly front end sits on top of a genuine platform. DashCaddy registers
+**400+ REST route handlers** covering deployment, lifecycle, health, security,
+backups, and fleet operations — with a WebSocket channel for live updates.
+Scripts and CI pipelines get a first-class path too. The AI layer is a
+convenience, not a lock-in: the API is always there for the operators who want
+it.
+
+## Security that isn't an afterthought
+
+Self-hosting is only worth it if it's safe to expose. DashCaddy includes a
+**Security Center** — a dashboard for security events and the hosts it tracks —
+so security visibility isn't a separate project you keep meaning to set up. TLS
+is handled by the built-in CA and Caddy. And when you do want to let someone in,
+**Secure Share Links** issue time-boxed public links (with an optional status
+subscription) or single-use Tailscale invitations, so sharing a service doesn't
+mean opening it to the world.
+
+## Scales from one box to a fleet
+
+What starts as a single-host homelab rarely stays that way. DashCaddy includes a
+deploy bridge (its shipdeck integration) with live health re-probes and fleet
+credentials for reaching other hosts, so growing beyond one machine doesn't mean
+starting over with a new tool.
+
+## Speaks your language — literally
+
+DashCaddy's interface is localized into **31 languages**, including full
+right-to-left support for Arabic. Self-hosting shouldn't be gated behind English
+fluency, and the dashboard reflects that.
+
+## Why this matters
+
+The promise of self-hosting is control: your data, your infrastructure, your
+rules. The cost has always been complexity. By turning intent into deployment,
+curating 77 templates instead of handing you a blank canvas, and exposing 400+
+registered REST route handlers plus an MCP server, DashCaddy keeps the control
+while removing most of the complexity.
+
+Ready to try it? Browse the [full feature set](/features), see the
+[77-app catalog](/docs/catalog), or jump straight to the
+[installation guide](/docs/installation).

src/content/blog/manifest.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// Blog post manifest — single source of truth for the index and the
+// [slug] static-params generator. To publish, insert a new entry into the
+// POSTS array (newest first) and add a matching markdown file at
+// src/content/blog/<slug>.md. The build fails if a slug has no matching file.
+
+export interface PostMeta {
+  slug: string;
+  title: string;
+  description: string;
+  date: string; // ISO yyyy-mm-dd
+  author: string;
+  tags: string[];
+  readingMinutes: number;
+}
+
+export const POSTS: PostMeta[] = [
+  {
+    slug: "deploy-self-hosted-apps-with-ai",
+    title: "Deploy Self-Hosted Apps From Plain English: DashCaddy's AI Intent Router",
+    description:
+      "How DashCaddy turns a plain-English request into a running, SSL-secured container — 77 one-click app templates, an MCP server for AI assistants, and 400+ registered REST route handlers.",
+    date: "2026-10-05",
+    author: "The DashCaddy Team",
+    tags: ["self-hosting", "ai", "docker", "homelab"],
+    readingMinutes: 6,
+  },
+];