Warish.co version 3.4 is now live! 🎉 While the site’s overall appearance has remained the same since its launch a few months ago, I’ve implemented several significant under-the-hood changes: switching to vanilla CSS, reorganizing the homepage with new components, and removing Keystatics to use only Astro content collections. I include all the details in the Warish.co changelog.
Warish.co version 3.3+ website layout is improved!
I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I want my website to be a mix of personal and professional. I’m not a big fan of that too-corporate theme. Although I want to showcase my professional work and background, I keep the site’s look and feel a bit personal. The next big chunks I’ll be working on are the Projects section and the Service landing page.
But that’s not all for this post. With this new version released, I’ll share the story of Warish.co, from an idea to a published site. ✨
Warish.co From Then to Now
I bought the domain warish.co without knowing what to do with it. I thought it was cool to have a domain name in my own name. But it sat there doing nothing for months until I began developing my own website.
Build My Internet Corner
Why would I bother creating a website when free social media channels exist?
I love the feeling of having my own personal website. It’s like owning a cozy house where I can do whatever I want. Social media, on the other hand, feels like renting a crowded apartment where everyone’s competing for attention.
While I understand social media is a powerful tool to build brand identity, sometimes I need a break to focus solely on myself. Having a website (with a blog) gives me that feeling.
Beyond that, it was fun building something. I believe that’s what writing and coding have in common. Writing builds words. Coding builds websites. Both start from nothing and end with something.
Version 1 – WordPress Site
I knew very basic HTML and CSS knowledge but wasn’t interested in pre-made website builders. WordPress seemed to be an ideal choice, offering the perfect middle ground for a beginner like me to get a website up and running.
I bought a cheap hosting plan, installed WordPress and a free theme, added some plugins, and uploaded my writing sample and bio — and there it was: the first version of my site!
Version 2 – AI Web Builder
WordPress began to feel…bloated. Running a website was all about installing plugin after plugin… and another plugin. I gave Lindo.ai, an AI web builder, a try. (They offered a lifetime deal at the time, so I thought it’d be nice to get rid of yearly hosting fees.) While simple, I found it to be only a temporary solution. I want a better CMS for my blog.
Warish.co v2 design actually paved the way for v3.
Version 3 – Astro Site
Warish.co v3 marked an important milestone for me because it’s where I found myself getting serious about web development AND the starting point of my technical writing journey.
I don’t know what came first. I got frustrated with confusing coding tutorials and wanted to write clearer ones myself. Or, I wanted to become a technical writer and figured building a website would be a real-world project to write about. Either way, both paths led me here.
I chose to build a static site with Astro for two main reasons. First, I wanted to learn web development by creating my own portfolio site. Second, I could host it for free on Cloudflare Pages instead of paying for WordPress hosting. (I’ll leave ‘why Astro’ for now because I’ll talk about it in a future post.)
Building and Learning from Cosmic Themes
I wasn’t confident enough to build an Astro website from scratch. I find that I learn best by studying examples, such as templates or GitHub repositories. Then adjusting it. And eventually, incrementally building my own stuff.
That’s why I invested in Cosmic Themes’ All Access (which cost $99 at the time). I bought it not only for the Astro themes but also to _lear_n from the real codebase.
And I wasn’t disappointed. Cosmic Themes’ codebase is neat, well-organized, and flexible. (A big shoutout to Web Reaper!) On the easiest level, I can simply customize colors and typography and add media and content. I then learn to add more styles, create new components (basically, copy and adjust the originals), and tweak things to fit my needs.
I could say that Cosmic Themes is the blueprint for developing my current Astro theme and building the next ones in the future.
Warish.co as a Playground and Laboratory
At this point, Warish.co has become more than a portfolio site — it’s a playground for my work, life, and ideas. A laboratory where I practice my web development skills. Looking ahead, I want it to be a digital bucket that consolidates my digital world: what I read, what I like, what I do.