Content

Content is Slipway's Git-backed editor for sails-content applications. It lets an editor manage Markdown, frontmatter, images, and JSON without leaving the dashboard while keeping the repository as the source of truth.

Requirements

Install sails-content in the application:

npm install sails-content

Slipway detects the hook during deployment and enables Content for that application. A connected Git repository is recommended: it gives every change a durable commit and lets Save & Deploy deploy the exact revision that was just saved.

Open Content

1. Open the project and environment.
2. Choose Content.
3. Select the application when the environment contains more than one app.
4. Open a collection and document.

The production environment uses:

/projects/:projectSlug/content

Other environments include the environment slug:

/projects/:projectSlug/environments/:environmentSlug/content

Content follows the normal sails-content directory structure:

content/
├── blog/
│   ├── hello-world.md
│   └── getting-started.md
├── docs/
│   └── installation.md
└── settings/
    └── site.json

Each directory is shown as a collection. Markdown and JSON files appear as records inside it.

Create a document

Choose New content from a collection, then enter a slug and optional title. The slug becomes the filename. For example, getting-started creates getting-started.md.

Slipway creates a Markdown document with initial frontmatter and commits it as:

chore(content): create blog/getting-started

Use meaningful, URL-safe slugs because applications commonly use them in public routes.

Visual Markdown editor

Markdown files open in a minimal TipTap editor. The document still remains Markdown on disk; the visual editor is an authoring surface, not a proprietary content format.

You can:

• write headings, paragraphs, lists, blockquotes, links, code, and horizontal rules;
• use Markdown shortcuts such as ## for a heading or - for a list;
• select text to open the compact formatting menu for bold, italic, strikethrough, inline code, and links;
• press Cmd/Ctrl + K to add a link to selected text;
• press Cmd/Ctrl + S to save;
• paste a public image URL, or paste and drop image files when uploads are configured.

Choose Markdown in the header whenever you want to edit the source directly. Choose Visual to return to the TipTap surface.

Safe Markdown round trips

Slipway checks that TipTap can parse and serialize the document without changing its meaning. If a file contains syntax the visual editor cannot preserve exactly, Slipway keeps it in Markdown mode and explains why. The source remains editable and is not silently rewritten.

This protection is important for hand-written Markdown that uses custom HTML, unusual extensions, or other constructs outside the visual editor's supported set.

Metadata

Frontmatter appears in a collapsed Metadata section above the document. Open it to edit values such as title, description, author, publication date, or tags.

---
title: Getting Started with Sails
description: Build and deploy your first Sails application.
published: true
tags: ['sails', 'deployment']
---

String, number, boolean, array, and object values are serialized back to valid frontmatter. Use Markdown mode when a document needs advanced YAML formatting that the form cannot represent safely.

Images

When upload storage is configured in Slipway settings, paste or drop an image into the visual editor. Slipway:

1. accepts AVIF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and WebP files up to 5 MB;
2. uploads the file through the authenticated Content endpoint;
3. validates the returned URL;
4. inserts the image URL and editable alt text into the Markdown.

If uploads are not configured, paste a public image URL instead. Storage credentials stay in Slipway settings and are never written into the content file.

Save and deploy

The main Save action records the change without deploying. Its menu also offers Save & Deploy.

With a connected GitHub repository, saving:

1. checks that the file has not changed since the editor loaded it;
2. commits the update to the application's configured branch;
3. refreshes Slipway's local build context only after the repository write succeeds.

Updates use a conventional commit such as:

chore(content): update blog/getting-started

Save & Deploy then queues a deployment pinned to that commit SHA. A later push to the branch cannot change what that deployment builds.

For applications without a writable repository source, Slipway can keep the local content source in sync, but durable repository history and exact Git revisions require a connected repository.

Static content

Applications that compile content at build time need Save & Deploy before the change appears in the running release.

Concurrent edits

The editor remembers the Git blob SHA that was loaded. If another person or process changes the file first, Slipway rejects the stale save instead of overwriting the newer content.

Reload the document, review the newer version, reapply the intended edit, and save again.

Delete a document

Open the save menu, choose Delete, and confirm the destructive action. Slipway checks the loaded blob SHA before deleting and records a commit such as:

chore(content): delete blog/getting-started

The repository history remains the recovery path for Git-backed content. Deleting local-only content cannot be undone from the dashboard.

JSON files

JSON records use a source editor rather than the visual Markdown surface:

{
  "title": "Site configuration",
  "navigation": [
    { "label": "Home", "url": "/" },
    { "label": "About", "url": "/about" }
  ]
}

Slipway preserves the raw JSON file and applies the same Git conflict protection when saving it.

Troubleshooting

Content is not available

1. Confirm sails-content is installed in the application.
2. Deploy the application so Slipway can detect its features.
3. Confirm you are viewing the correct application and environment.

Visual mode is unavailable

Read the warning above the Markdown source. The file contains syntax that Slipway cannot round-trip safely. Continue in Markdown mode or simplify the unsupported construct.

A save conflicts

The repository version changed after the editor loaded. Reload before making another save so the newer change is not overwritten.

A saved change is not live

Use Save & Deploy and wait for the pinned deployment to become healthy. Saving alone does not rebuild an application that compiles content at build time.

What's next?

• Configure file uploads for pasted and dropped images.
• Use Auto-Deploy for other repository changes.
• Learn more about sails-content.