The Theory vs. The Practice
In my last entry, I theorized that the CMS is dead. Today, I am confirming the kill.
I just migrated Hawaii-Guide.com—a massive, 20-year-old site with over 1,000 pages of legacy code—from a complex database-driven CMS to a pure static site. I did it in an afternoon.
Here is the "Oversimplified Instruction Manual" for how to escape the 2010s and enter 2026.
Step 1 - The Vacuum (SiteSucker)
First, I had to get the data out of the "Database Prison." I didn't write an export script. I used a tool called SiteSucker. It literally crawled my own site, downloading every page as a flat HTML file.
It was like taking a snapshot of a building and turning it into a 3D model. I had the look of the site, but none of the machinery (PHP, SQL).
Step 2 - The File Cabinet (Git)
I admit, I am a dinosaur. I avoided Git for years because FTP felt "real." But I finally bit the bullet. I dumped those 1,000 HTML files into a Git Repository.
For the uninitiated - Git is just a file cabinet that remembers history. Once I uploaded the files, I realized why everyone uses it. It is the perfect "Stage" for the AI to perform on.
Step 3 - The Agentic Surgeon (Claude Code)
This is where the magic happened.
When you turn a Dynamic Site (CMS) into a Static Site (HTML), things break. specifically, Forms. Contact forms usually rely on a server to process the email. My static files had nowhere to send the data.
I didn't hire a developer. I opened my terminal and typed - "Scan the repository. Identify all contact forms. They are broken because we removed the backend. Recommend a serverless solution and refactor the code to make them work."
The Agent didn't just give advice. It did the following:
- Identified the form blocks across the files.
- Recommended a form handling service (Formspree/Netlify Forms).
- Asked me for my API Key (which I signed up for in 2 minutes).
- Rewrote the code in all the necessary files to point to the new service.
Step 4 - The Fortress (Cloudflare)
I pushed the "Fixed" site to the cloud, put Cloudflare in front of it, and hit publish.
The Result
I now have a 1,000-page website that loads instantly.
- Database Cost - $0.
- Security Risk - Near Zero (you can't hack a text file).
- Maintenance - None. No plugins to update.
I realized I wasn't just "updating my website." I was deleting 15 years of technical debt.
The Protocol - If you are holding onto a CMS because you are afraid of the migration, let the Agent do the heavy lifting. The Escape Hatch is open.
