Core Concepts

The Problem Pala Solves

Traditional website development creates a fundamental tension: developers need code control while content editors need a focused editing experience. This tension exists because most approaches split code and content at the component level - code lives in repos, content lives in databases, requiring complex connections between them. Pala solves this by coupling code and content together in self-contained blocks that live together in the database. This creates a truly modular system where:

• Developers can directly edit code and integrate content fields
• Editors get a visual, intuitive interface with proper guardrails
• Changes are instant and components are truly reusable

How Pala sites are Structured

Site Level

• Manages site-wide content (e.g. navigation, logo, social links)
• Controls design through CSS variables
• Each site is independent
• Contains its own copy of blocks from your library

Page Type Level

• Defines what kind of pages exist (e.g. blog posts, events, people, recipes)
• Controls which blocks are available for each type
• Sets required (static) blocks
• Defines page-level fields

Page Level

• Built by stacking blocks vertically
• Contains page-specific content
• Follows structure defined by its page type
• Passes data to blocks through page fields

Block Level

• Self-contained units with both code and content
• Can access site and page level data
• Adapts to site design automatically
• Copied from your library when added to sites