I Built a SaaS for Managing Torah Readings
Most of my work is in WordPress, but I occasionally build full-stack apps outside that world. Here's how I built a multi-tenant SaaS to help synagogues manage Torah reading assignments.
Blog
Find Aaron's expert insights into the latest WordPress developments, where the open-source ecosystem is heading next, and his technical deep-dives into modern web architecture.
I Built a Full WordPress Page in 30 Seconds
Another agency owner reached out with a tight deadline and a WordPress page builder problem. I had their site backed up, a local dev environment set up, and the entire page built in 30 minutes. Here's exactly what that looked like.
Looking Beyond WordPress
A reflection on recent WordPress events, the community fallout, and why I'm exploring new architectures.
Are We in a Post-CMS World?
WordPress is losing roughly 150,000 sites a month. But this isn't just about WordPress - it's a sign that the era of the traditional monolithic CMS might be coming to a close.
How to Extract Your Mailgun API Key Directly From the WordPress Database Using WP-CLI
Learn how to use WP-CLI to extract a serialized Mailgun API key directly from the wp_options table without needing dashboard access.
Sending Mailgun Email Natively in Astro
Instead of dragging in heavy SDKs to send emails in Astro, I use native web features to keep the site fast and lightweight.
How I Converted my WordPress site to Astro
Moving from a legacy WordPress setup to Astro was one of the most rewarding moves I've made. Here is how I got my load times under half a second.
How I Booted a ClearFake Session Hijacker Out of WordPress
If you manage enough WordPress sites, eventually you get to play digital detective. Earlier this week, I had to drop everything to triage a nasty security incident involving a sophisticated malware campaign known as ClearFake.
The EmDash Speed Test: A Plot Twist Where WordPress Actually Wins
In my last post, I talked about setting up EmDash and Astro to chase that “insane speed” we all want for our websites. The architecture is lightweight, it ships zero JavaScript by default, and in theory, it should blow a traditional CMS out of the water. Well, I ran the numbers. And consider me humbled.
Testing New Frameworks for Insane Speeds
I’ve been building websites since 1996, and if there’s one thing that remains constant in this industry, it’s that technology moves incredibly fast. I’ve been using WordPress as my primary CMS since 2008, and it has been the absolute go-to for almost everything I do.
Why I Built VerifyMyVibe.com
Recently, I had a client reach out and say something that stuck with me. They told me they were planning to use Claude Code to build out a project,...
We Live In A Different America
For some reason, the death of a complete stranger has affected me. I am rarely emotionally affected by things in the public eye, but the murder of...
Albums That Have Affected Me
10 albums that formed my music interests: The Queen is Dead - The Smiths Doolittle - Pixies Solace - Sarah McLachlan Your Arsenal - Morrissey...
WP Drama Log: All About the Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine Drama
Sept. 17, Tuesday - Matt Mullenweg posts a blog post entitled “WordCamp US & Ecosystem Thinking” obviously about the WordPress...
All of my GoDaddy Articles
I wrote a decent amount of articles for GoDaddy. They wound up taking a different direction on writing, so that has since stopped. I figured I should...
Sideway8 Is Being Acquired
TLDR; version: Sideways8 is being acquired. Aaron is doing other stuff. Longer version: It's a bittersweet symphony, this chapter of my life. In...
These Phones Speeds Are Getting Out of Control
I probably use more bandwidth than my mom, but probably not more bandwidth than a teenager that just binge watches every show they want to because...
My first GoDaddy article
I'm thrilled to let people know that I got my first writing gig for a site besides my personal blogs or Sideways8. The title is "Who hosts this...
To High Treason: American Freedom
Often, I will toast to "High treason!", all in jest of course. When I do this, I harken back to the fictitious story of the toast to high treason in...
Solid WordPress hosting
I'll start this off letting you know what I have an affiliate link to the hosting company that I recommend. I didn't have affiliate link when I...
Breaking the Social Media Addiction
Bad habits drive me crazy, I wish I didn't have them, but I do. That is why, once a year, I don't drink coffee for a week. I'm a 3-cups-a-day kind of...
Microsoft and Linux: Part Two
In my previous article (Part 1), I mentioned that I would expect Microsoft to not use/release a Linux distro, but a BSD distro. I think I was spot...
Microsoft and Linux
It seems like it is getting colder, can you feel that? Microsoft is releasing products that run on Linux and hiring Linux-like people. Things are...
WordCamp Atlanta: Page Builder Showdown
WordCamp Atlanta was awesome, as usual. I have the privilege to compare various Page Builders, seven to be exact. I tend to pick topics of which I...
Page Builder by SiteOrigin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF8uTeM79LY Welcome to part two of my series on WordPress Page Builders. This one is focusing on Page Builder by...
Business Panel Meetup
Mickey Mellen of Green Mellen Media asked me to be on a panel entitled "MEETUP BUSINESS PANEL: LEARNING FROM THOSE THAT DO IT WELL". I take that as a...
Web hosting downtime or high availability
Web hosting is a difficult business to be in. The competition is fierce. Who can compete with GoDaddy at $4 a month? What's more is that people...
What does Apple's App Store show about Microsoft and other tools
This is what I see when I view the "Top Free" apps in Apple's App Store. I'm making a million and one assumptions, but there is some truth in this....
WordPress theming: building from scratch
I have been helping a friend of mine Diana Nichols with a Meetup in Marietta. Last week I helped walking through people creating a child theme. The...
If is this page or is child of it
A client of mine needed to display a certain HTML element (a social media icon) only on certain pages and children of those pages. Put this in your...
Multi site error when registering users
I was getting this message on a multi site install that I was working on: Usernames can only contain lowercase letters (a-z) and numbers. I haven't...
How to limit the access of the content based on user's registration date
A friend of mine has a paid and subscription based site. He wanted the site to limit access to content based on a user's registration date. For...
Adding code to allow an iframe in WordPress
I know there are security risks, a bad implementation, bad user experience, etc, but sometimes the client insists on it. Here is how allow iframes in...
Quick and Dirty way to add code some Javascript to a footer
I every once and a while a client needs me to add some kind of Javascript code to the site. Most time it is a Google snippet or something for...
How to get Apache to serve up .SVG and .SVGZ files
I ran into this today. This isn't WP specific, but whatever. I'm sure I'll have to do this again at some point. Basically, .SVG files are Scalable...
Adding a Favicon correctly in WordPress
There are 19 different ways to "load" a favicon. You can put it in the of the site, just like how you would with a static site. I tend to a lot of...