What You Built

If you have read this documentation from the beginning, you have done the following:

• Installed the .NET 9 SDK on Windows, Linux, or macOS
• Downloaded Dax Pro from Gumroad
• Built the site locally with dotnet run -- build
• Started the development server with dotnet run -- start
• Configured _data/metadata.yaml, _data/nav.yaml, and _data/footer.yaml
• Edited the homepage through Decap CMS and directly in content/index.md
• Created static pages: About, Privacy, Terms, License
• Set up a contact form with Formspree and spam protection
• Configured the services controller and individual service pages
• Configured the blog controller and individual blog posts
• Used tags for content discovery and SEO
• Added images correctly (formats, sizes, alt text)
• Configured SEO: canonical URLs, OpenGraph, Twitter Cards, JSON-LD
• Added analytics (Plausible, Umami, or GA4) without breaking Lighthouse
• Learned Decap CMS: login, editing, publishing, media library, history
• Diagnosed problems via the troubleshooting reference
• Updated Dax Pro safely without losing customizations
• Created a GitHub repository and pushed the project
• Deployed to Netlify with Identity and Git Gateway
• Connected a custom domain with HTTPS
• Understood the template system for further customization

The result is a production-ready static site: pure HTML, zero JavaScript runtime, Lighthouse 100, working CMS, editable through a visual interface, deployable to any static host.

This is not a demo. This is a live, sellable product. If you are running a business site, a portfolio, or a documentation portal, you can hand the /admin/ URL to a non-technical editor and they can publish content through Decap CMS. Every change commits to Git, triggers a rebuild, and deploys to the edge in under a minute.

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Complete File Reference

Every file in the project, what it does, and when you edit it.

_data/ — Site configuration

File	Purpose	Edit when
metadata.yaml	Site title, description, URL, favicon, OpenGraph image, author, social links	Setting up a new site, changing the domain, updating SEO metadata
nav.yaml	Brand wordmark, navigation items, secondary and primary CTAs	Adding a nav link, changing the brand, updating a CTA
footer.yaml	Footer brand, description, compatibility badges, three link columns, copyright, legal links	Changing footer links, updating copyright, adding a legal page
docs.yaml	Documentation sidebar structure (7 sections, 25 chapters)	Adding a new documentation chapter

content/ — Content files

File / Folder	Purpose	Edit when
index.md	Homepage — 8 sections (hero, trust, solutions, performance, showcase, pricing, insights, contact)	Changing any homepage text, image, or link
about.md	About page	Updating the company story, mission, team
contact.md	Contact page — Formspree configuration, guarantees, email	Changing the form endpoint, the email, the guarantees
privacy.md	Privacy policy	Updating data practices, legal requirements
terms.md	Terms of service	Updating legal terms
license.md	Commercial license page	Updating licensing terms
posts.md	Blog controller — pagination, title, description	Changing blog listing title, pagination, description
posts/*.md	Individual blog posts	Writing, editing, deleting posts
services.md	Services controller — pagination, title, description	Changing services listing title, pagination, description
services/*.md	Individual service pages	Writing, editing, deleting services
tags.md	Tag controller — title, description	Changing /tags/ page metadata
docs.md	Docs controller — pagination	Changing docs listing
docs/*.md	Documentation chapters	Writing, editing documentation

templates/ — Layouts and partials

File / Folder	Purpose	Edit when
layouts/base.dax	HTML shell — , nav, footer, scripts	Adding global scripts, meta tags, analytics
layouts/home.dax	Homepage layout — includes 8 sections	Adding or reordering homepage sections
layouts/post.dax	Blog post layout	Changing post page structure
layouts/posts-list.dax	Blog listing layout	Changing /posts/ page structure
layouts/page.dax	Static page layout	Changing About, Privacy, Terms layout
layouts/contact.dax	Contact page layout	Changing contact page structure
layouts/service.dax	Service detail layout	Changing service page structure
layouts/services-list.dax	Services listing layout	Changing /services/ page structure
layouts/tag.dax	Tag detail layout	Changing tag page structure
layouts/tags.dax	Tag index layout	Changing /tags/ page structure
layouts/docs.dax	Docs chapter layout	Changing docs chapter structure
layouts/docs-list.dax	Docs index layout	Changing /docs/ page structure
partials/shared/seo.dax	SEO metadata	Adding meta tags, JSON-LD schemas
partials/shared/nav.dax	Navigation bar	Changing nav structure
partials/shared/mobile-drawer.dax	Mobile menu drawer	Changing mobile nav
partials/shared/footer.dax	Footer	Changing footer structure
partials/home/*.dax	Homepage sections	Customizing a specific section
partials/blog/*.dax	Blog components	Changing blog card, header, pagination
partials/post/*.dax	Post components	Changing post header, cover, tags, nav
partials/page/*.dax	Static page components	Changing page header, CTA box
partials/contact/*.dax	Contact components	Changing contact header, form
partials/service/*.dax	Service components	Changing service header, CTA, nav
partials/services/*.dax	Services listing components	Changing services header, pagination
partials/tag/*.dax	Tag detail components	Changing tag header
partials/tags/*.dax	Tag index components	Changing tags header
partials/docs/nav.dax	Docs prev/next navigation	Changing docs navigation

public/ — Static assets

File / Folder	Purpose	Edit when
css/style.css	All styles	Changing colors, spacing, layout, adding new components
js/main.js	Mobile menu, form handling	Adding new client-side interactions
images/	All images	Adding images for content, favicon, OpenGraph
admin/index.html	Decap CMS entry	Rarely — changing the CMS script version
admin/config.yml	Decap CMS configuration	Adding collections, changing fields, updating the logo
admin/daxlogo.webp	Decap CMS logo	Replacing the logo

Root files

File	Purpose	Edit when
Dax.csproj	.NET project file	Changing the .NET target version (rare)
Program.cs	The DAX engine — C# build logic	Extending the engine (advanced)
netlify.toml	Netlify deployment configuration	Changing build command, environment, headers
vercel.json	Vercel deployment configuration	Changing Vercel build settings
README.md	Project overview	Updating project description
LICENSE	Commercial license text	Updating legal terms
.gitignore	Git ignore rules	Adding files to exclude from version control

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Complete Command Reference

The commands you will use most.

Local development

# Build the site to site/
dotnet run -- build

Build and start the development server at http://localhost:8080/
dotnet run -- start

Run the Decap CMS proxy for local editing (second terminal)
npx decap-server

Git

# See what changed
git status

Stage all changes
git add .

Commit with a message
git commit -m "Your message"

Push to GitHub
git push

Pull from GitHub
git pull origin main

Tag a version
git tag deployed-v1-2026-05-26

Push tags
git push origin --tags

Verification

# Check the .NET SDK version
dotnet --version

Check the Git identity
git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

Check the Git remote
git remote -v

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Complete URL Reference

Every URL in a Dax Pro site.

Public URLs

URL	Content	Source
/	Homepage	content/index.md
/about/	About page	content/about.md
/contact/	Contact page	content/contact.md
/privacy/	Privacy policy	content/privacy.md
/terms/	Terms of service	content/terms.md
/license/	Commercial license	content/license.md
/posts/	Blog listing	content/posts.md
/posts/page/2/	Blog listing, page 2	Auto-generated
/posts/{slug}/	Individual blog post	content/posts/{slug}.md
/services/	Services listing	content/services.md
/services/page/2/	Services listing, page 2	Auto-generated
/services/{slug}/	Individual service	content/services/{slug}.md
/tags/	Tag directory	content/tags.md
/tags/{tag}/	Individual tag page	Auto-generated from tags: fields
/docs/	Documentation index	content/docs/index.md
/docs/{slug}/	Individual docs chapter	content/docs/{slug}.md
/admin/	Decap CMS	public/admin/index.html
/sitemap.xml	Sitemap	Auto-generated
/robots.txt	Robots file	Auto-generated
/rss.xml	RSS feed	Auto-generated
/css/style.css	Stylesheet	public/css/style.css
/js/main.js	JavaScript	public/js/main.js
/images/*	Images	public/images/*

Special URLs

URL	Purpose
http://localhost:8080/	Local development server
https://your-site.netlify.app/	Netlify staging URL
https://yourdomain.com/	Production site
https://yourdomain.com/admin/	Production CMS

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Key Concepts Reference

A quick lookup for the concepts covered throughout the documentation.

Collection: a folder in content/ that contains items of the same type (posts, services). Collections are rendered as listings and individual pages.

Controller: a Markdown file in content/ that generates a listing page. posts.md is the blog controller, services.md is the services controller.

Frontmatter: the YAML block at the top of a Markdown file, between two --- delimiters. It defines metadata for the page.

Layout: a template in templates/layouts/ that defines the page's outer structure. Each page type has its own layout.

Partial: a reusable snippet in templates/partials/ that is included by layouts. Homepage sections are partials.

Tag: a keyword attached to content. Tags generate /tags/{tag}/ pages automatically.

Category: a single label on a post (cosmetic — no category page). For indexable classification, use tags.

Metadata: site-wide configuration in _data/metadata.yaml — title, description, URL, author.

Decap CMS: the editorial interface at /admin/. It edits Markdown files and commits to Git.

Netlify Identity: the authentication service that Decap CMS uses.

Git Gateway: the proxy that lets Decap CMS commit to GitHub on behalf of Identity users.

Build: the process of running dotnet run -- build. It converts Markdown and templates into static HTML in site/.

Deploy: the process of uploading site/ to a host. Netlify automates this on every Git push.

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Troubleshooting Quick Reference

The most common problems and their first diagnostic step.

Problem	First step
Build fails	Check the error message; run dotnet run -- build and read the last lines
Deploy fails	Open Netlify → Deploys → click the failed deploy → read the log
Page shows raw YAML	Check line 1 is ---, closing --- has a blank line after, file uses LF not CRLF
404 on a page	Check the file exists in content/; check the URL matches the filename
Tag chip 404s	Check the tag is lowercase and has no spaces
CMS blank page	Open DevTools console; check /admin/index.html loads
Login fails	Check the Identity user list in Netlify; re-invite if needed
Publish fails	Check Git Gateway is enabled; check the token has repo scope
Custom domain not verifying	Check DNS records; disable Cloudflare proxy
HTTPS fails	Check CAA records; click Renew certificate in Netlify
Site slow	Check image file sizes; run Lighthouse; look for external scripts
Email from form not arriving	Check Formspree dashboard; check email settings in Formspree

For a full diagnostic walkthrough, see the Troubleshooting chapter.

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Custom .NET Development Services

Dax Pro is a theme. The DAX engine is open source. But some situations call for bespoke work.

Custom .NET static site architecture:

A generator tailored to a content model Dax Pro does not cover. A multi-tenant build system that produces hundreds of microsites. A private CDN deployment for compliance reasons. A hybrid static + API site that mixes static content with dynamic data.

Legacy migration:

WordPress to Dax Pro with content, taxonomy, media, and 301 redirect parity. Drupal, Sitecore, or custom PHP CMS migration. The migration includes a full audit, export, conversion, redirect map, and validation against the legacy site.

Custom theme development:

A brand-specific theme built on Dax Pro foundations. A theme that matches a corporate brand guide exactly. A theme with components Dax Pro does not ship (timelines, comparison tables, calculators, video sections).

CI/CD and DevOps:

Azure DevOps pipelines, GitHub Actions workflows, multi-environment deployments (staging, production, preview per PR). Performance monitoring and alerting.

Accessibility and performance audits:

WCAG 2.1 AA audit with fixes applied. Core Web Vitals optimization to 100/100. Security header audit and hardening. Structured data (JSON-LD) implementation and validation.

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AI Integration Services

Modern sites increasingly benefit from AI-powered features. Dax Pro stays static — but a static site can call AI APIs through build-time processing or serverless functions.

What we can build on Dax Pro:

• AI-powered search — semantic search that indexes your content and uses an embedding model to find relevant pages, deployed as a Cloudflare Worker or Netlify Function
• AI content generation — a Decap CMS extension that generates first drafts from a prompt, using OpenAI or Anthropic
• AI summarization — automatic TL;DR summaries at the top of long posts, generated at build time and stored in frontmatter
• AI translation — automatic translation of content into multiple languages, stored as separate Markdown files
• AI chatbots — support chatbots trained on your documentation, deployed as an embedded widget
• AI recommendations — "related posts" suggestions based on semantic similarity rather than tags
• AI accessibility — automatic alt-text generation for images, automatic heading hierarchy validation, automatic contrast checking

How this works with a static site:

• Build-time AI — runs during the build, generating summaries, translations, alt text, or recommendations that are stored in frontmatter and rendered as static content
• Client-side AI — runs in the browser (or via a serverless function) when the visitor interacts, providing live search or chatbot responses
• CMS-integrated AI — runs inside Decap CMS, helping editors generate or edit content

Providers we use:

OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-4o) for text. Anthropic (Claude) for text. DALL-E or Stable Diffusion for images. Whisper for audio. Cloudflare Workers AI for edge inference. Custom fine-tuned models for domain-specific tasks.

The static site stays static. AI runs at build time or in a serverless function. No new runtime, no new infrastructure to maintain.

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When to Hire

Hire custom .NET or AI work when:

Situation	Service
Your content model does not fit Dax Pro's structure	Custom .NET architecture
Migrating from WordPress, Drupal, or Sitecore	Legacy migration
You need a brand-specific theme	Custom theme development
You need AI search, chatbot, or content generation	AI integration
Your site fails WCAG or Lighthouse	Audit + fixes
You need CI/CD configured for enterprise	DevOps setup
You have a one-off requirement no template covers	Bespoke engagement

For simpler needs — installing Dax Pro, configuring the theme, setting up Netlify — the documentation you have just read is sufficient. You do not need to hire anyone for those. The documentation is complete.

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Get in Touch

Buy Dax Pro on Gumroad:

https://creativitaz.gumroad.com/l/dax-pro

Hire custom .NET or AI work on Fiverr:

https://www.fiverr.com/creativitas/design-your-website-with-progresive-web-application

Email for enterprise inquiries:

[email protected]

Free DAX engine repository:

https://github.com/mesinkasir/dax

Live demo:

https://dax.axcora.com

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Fiverr Services in Detail

The Fiverr gig covers a range of custom work. What you get depends on the package.

What is available:

• Custom .NET static site development — from content model design to deployment
• Migration from WordPress, Drupal, or Sitecore — full content, taxonomy, and URL migration
• Decap CMS custom collections — bespoke editorial interfaces for your content model
• AI integration — search, chatbots, content generation, translation
• Performance and accessibility audits — with fixes applied
• Theme customization — a brand-specific theme built on Dax Pro
• Deployment and DevOps — Netlify, Vercel, Azure, CI/CD pipelines

How the engagement works:

1. You describe your project on Fiverr

2. We quote a scope, timeline, and price

3. You confirm and fund the order

4. We build, you review, we iterate

5. You receive the finished project — source code, documentation, and a handover call

6. Fiverr holds the payment in escrow until you approve the delivery

Typical timelines:

Project type	Timeline
Theme customization	3–5 days
Migration from WordPress	5–10 days
AI search or chatbot	5–10 days
Full custom architecture	2–4 weeks
Enterprise migration + AI	4–8 weeks

What to provide:

• Access to your existing site (if migrating)
• Your content (or permission to export it)
• Your brand assets (logo, colors, fonts)
• Any API keys for AI services (or permission for us to use ours during development)
• A domain and hosting account (or permission for us to set one up)

What you receive:

• The complete Dax Pro project (or your custom theme) in a Git repository
• Deployment configuration for your chosen host
• A short documentation file explaining any customizations
• A handover call walking through the site, the CMS, and the deployment
• 30 days of post-launch support for bugs

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What Comes After Dax Pro

Once the site is live, the ongoing work is:

Content. The site is a platform, not a finished product. Publish weekly, monthly, or quarterly depending on the business. Consistency matters more than frequency.

Analytics. If you want to understand traffic, add Plausible or Umami. Both are privacy-friendly and can be added to base.dax in a few minutes.

Search engines. Submit the sitemap to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. The sitemap is generated automatically at /sitemap.xml.

Backups. GitHub is the backup. Optionally download a ZIP of the repository every quarter and store it off-site.

Updates. Dax Pro ships with lifetime updates. When a new version releases, an email arrives. Update carefully — read the changelog, back up first, test locally, then deploy.

Performance monitoring. Netlify shows deploy times. Use PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse CI to monitor performance over time.

Security. Dax Pro has no server, no database, no plugins, which removes most attack vectors. The remaining vectors: the GitHub repository (2FA), the Netlify account (2FA), and the personal access token (rotate every 90 days).

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Final Notes

Dax Pro is not a compromise. It is not "the cheap alternative to WordPress." It is the correct architecture for content sites: pure HTML, compiled at build time, served from a CDN, edited through a Git-backed CMS.

The sites it produces load in under 50 milliseconds. They score 100 on Lighthouse. They never have security patches to apply, never have database migrations, never have cache invalidation bugs.

That is the whole point. That is what you bought.

The documentation is complete. The site is live. The site is yours.

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Quick Reference Card

The five commands used most:

# Build the site
dotnet run -- build

Start the development server
dotnet run -- start

Run Decap CMS proxy (local, second terminal)
npx decap-server

Push changes to GitHub
git add . && git commit -m "Update" && git push

Test the SDK is installed
dotnet --version

The three URLs visited most:

• http://localhost:8080/ — local development
• https://yourdomain.com/ — production site
• https://yourdomain.com/admin/ — editorial interface

The three files edited most:

• _data/metadata.yaml — site identity, SEO
• _data/nav.yaml — navigation, brand
• content/index.md — homepage

Everything else is a chapter in this documentation.

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Thank you for choosing Dax Pro.

Buy Dax Pro: https://creativitaz.gumroad.com/l/dax-pro

Hire custom .NET or AI work: https://www.fiverr.com/creativitas/design-your-website-with-progresive-web-application

Enterprise: [email protected]

Free DAX engine: https://github.com/mesinkasir/dax

Live demo: https://dax.axcora.com

Pure .NET. Pure static. Pure speed.