Resources / Astro + Cloudflare

Build & Deploy a Website, Entirely Free

Astro, Cloudflare Workers, GitHub, and Antigravity form a powerful zero-cost stack for building, deploying, and editing modern websites. Here's what each piece does and why we think they work brilliantly together.

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The Stack

Astro

Website Framework

Similar to: WordPress · Squarespace · Wix

cf. Next.js · SvelteKit · Nuxt

Think of Astro as a tool that builds your website files. Unlike older website builders that load lots of unnecessary stuff, Astro creates clean, lightweight pages that open almost instantly - like the difference between a bulky Word document and a simple text file. It's free and open-source.

Astro is a modern web framework that ships zero JavaScript by default, making your pages incredibly fast. It supports components from React, Vue, Svelte and more - but only sends HTML and CSS to the browser unless interactivity is explicitly needed. Perfect for content-driven sites like portfolios, blogs, and organisational pages.

Cloudflare Workers

Hosting & Deployment

Similar to: cPanel hosting · Hostinger · SiteGround

cf. AWS Lambda@Edge · Vercel Edge · Azure CDN

This is where your website actually lives on the internet. Instead of being stored in one location, Cloudflare copies your site to hundreds of places around the world - so visitors always get it from somewhere nearby. It's like having your shop on every street corner instead of just one address. The free plan handles up to 100,000 visits per day.

Cloudflare Workers runs your site on their global edge network - meaning your pages are served from data centres close to your visitors, anywhere in the world. Deployments are automatic: push code to GitHub and your site is live within seconds. The free tier includes 100,000 requests per day, which is more than enough for most small-to-medium sites.

GitHub

Code Storage & Version Control

Similar to: OneDrive · Google Drive · Dropbox

cf. GitLab · Bitbucket · Azure DevOps Repos

Think of GitHub as a smart filing cabinet for your website files. It saves every version of every change, so you can always go back if something goes wrong - like an "undo" button for your entire website. It also connects your editor to Cloudflare, so changes go live automatically.

GitHub stores your website's source code and tracks every change. It acts as the bridge between your editor and Cloudflare - whenever you push a commit, Cloudflare automatically picks it up and deploys the latest version. You also get a full history of every change, so nothing is ever lost and you can always roll back.

Antigravity

Code Editor (AI-Powered)

Similar to: Dreamweaver · Wix Editor · Google Sites

cf. VS Code · Cursor · WebStorm

This is where you actually make changes to your website. It looks like a text editor, but has a built-in AI assistant - just type what you want in everyday English (e.g., "add a new page about our opening hours") and the AI writes the code for you. No programming knowledge needed. It's made by Google and completely free.

Antigravity is a free AI-powered code editor by Google. You don't need to know how to code - just describe what you want in plain English and the AI agent will write, edit, and organise the code for you. It connects directly to your GitHub repository and has a built-in preview so you can see changes in real time.

Why We Think It's a Great Combo

Free

Entirely free

You won't pay a single cent. Every tool in this setup is free - no hidden fees, no trial periods, no credit card required. For a typical small organisation's website, you'll never need to upgrade to a paid plan.

Every component in this stack has a generous free tier. Astro is open-source. Cloudflare Workers' free plan covers 100K requests/day. GitHub free accounts include unlimited private repos. Antigravity is free to use. For a typical community organisation's website, you will never hit a paywall.

Fast

Blazing fast out of the box

Your website will load almost instantly for visitors. The pages are kept lightweight, and they're served from a location close to each visitor - like having a local branch instead of one faraway head office.

Astro's zero-JS approach combined with Cloudflare's edge network means your site loads almost instantly - no performance tuning required. Your visitors get near-instant page loads regardless of where they are in the world.

Auto

Automatic deployments

When you make a change and save it, your live website updates by itself within seconds. No need to upload files, call your hosting provider, or do anything extra - it just happens.

The GitHub-to-Cloudflare pipeline means every code change is automatically deployed. Push from Antigravity, and your live site updates within seconds. No manual uploads, no FTP, no waiting around.

AI

No coding experience needed

You tell the AI what you want in everyday language - "change the phone number", "add a photo gallery", "make the header blue" - and it does it. You don't need to understand any programming language.

Antigravity's AI agent lets non-technical users describe changes in plain English. Need a new page? A contact form? Updated opening hours? Just ask. The AI writes the code, you review and publish.

Secure

Secure by default

Your website is automatically protected against common internet threats. It gets the padlock icon (HTTPS) for free, is shielded against attacks, and because there's no database or login system to hack, it's inherently much safer than traditional websites.

Static and server-rendered sites on Cloudflare get free HTTPS, DDoS protection, and a globally distributed infrastructure. There's no database to hack and no server to maintain - your attack surface is minimal.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

Free tier has usage caps

The free plan handles 100,000 page visits per day. That's plenty for most organisations, but if your site ever becomes extremely popular, you'd need the paid plan at $5/month - which then covers 10 million visits.

Cloudflare Workers' free plan allows 100,000 requests per day. For most community organisations this is more than enough, but high-traffic sites or those with heavy API usage may eventually need the paid plan ($5/month for 10 million requests).

AI editing isn't perfect

The AI assistant is very capable, but it's not magic. Sometimes it might misunderstand what you want, especially for complex designs. The trick is to be specific with your instructions and make changes step by step rather than all at once.

Antigravity's AI agent is impressive but not infallible. Complex layouts or very specific design requirements may need manual tweaking. It works best for clear, descriptive instructions and iterative refinement.

No traditional CMS

There's no WordPress-style dashboard where you click buttons to change content. Instead, you describe changes to the AI assistant. It's actually simpler once you get used to it, but it's a different way of working from what you might be used to.

There's no WordPress-style admin panel. Content changes happen through code (or asking the AI to change code). This is simpler and more secure, but team members used to a CMS interface may need a short adjustment period.

Custom domain requires Cloudflare DNS

If you want your website at your own address (like yourorg.org instead of a long Cloudflare URL), you'll need to point your domain to Cloudflare. This is a one-time setup and it's free - but someone technical may need to help with this initial step.

To use your own domain (e.g. yourorg.org), it needs to be managed through Cloudflare's DNS - which is free, but involves a one-time setup to transfer your domain's nameservers.

Some advanced features aren't supported

Node.js runtime constraints

Some advanced programming tools don't work on Cloudflare because it uses a simplified system. This won't affect most websites at all, but it's worth knowing if you ever need very specialised features down the road.

Cloudflare Workers uses a lightweight V8 runtime, not a full Node.js environment. Most things work fine, but some Node.js-specific libraries that rely on filesystem access or native modules won't be compatible.

Learning curve for advanced customisation

For everyday changes, the AI handles everything. But if you want very advanced features - like connecting to other services or building complex interactive pages - some technical knowledge would be helpful, or you can ask someone with that background.

While the AI handles most tasks, understanding Astro's component model and Cloudflare's configuration is helpful for advanced features like API routes, dynamic server-side rendering, or integrating third-party services.

Ready to Get Started?

Our step-by-step guide walks you through the entire setup - from creating your Cloudflare project to making your first edit in Antigravity. It takes about 15 minutes.

Open the Setup Guide →