Architecture Overview
Aether uses a static-first architecture with optional dynamic components. This provides infinite scalability at minimal cost.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ End Users │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CDN (CloudFront/CloudFlare) │
│ Static HTML/CSS/JS/Images │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ S3 / Object Storage │
│ Built static files │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Admin Users │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Admin API (Lambda/Container) │
│ Content management, build triggers │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CHAI AI Hive │
│ Content intelligence specialists │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Static Hosting
The public-facing site is completely static HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and images. No server-side processing means unlimited scalability and minimal cost.
| Provider | Service | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | S3 + CloudFront | $5-25 |
| CloudFlare | Pages (Free tier) | $0 |
| Netlify | Starter/Pro | $0-19 |
| Vercel | Hobby/Pro | $0-20 |
| Azure | Static Web Apps | $0-9 |
Admin API
The admin interface and content management API run as serverless functions or containers. They only spin up when editors are working.
AWS Lambda
Serverless functions that scale to zero. Pay only for actual usage. Typical cost: $5-15/month for small teams.
Container (ECS/EKS)
Always-on container for high-volume teams. Better for 10+ concurrent editors. Cost: $20-50/month.
AI Compute
CHAI specialists can run on CPU or GPU instances depending on your performance and cost requirements.
| Configuration | Best For | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| CPU (ARM) | Low volume, cost-sensitive | $15-35 |
| CPU (x86) | Medium volume | $35-85 |
| GPU (T4) | High volume, fast inference | $150-300 |
| External API | No infrastructure management | $0.003/1K tokens |
CDN Configuration
Aether integrates with major CDN providers for automatic cache invalidation when content is published.
cdn:
provider: cloudfront
distribution_id: "${CLOUDFRONT_ID}"
invalidation:
on_publish: true
paths: ["/*"] # Or specific paths
cache:
default_ttl: 86400 # 24 hours
max_ttl: 604800 # 7 days
static_assets: 31536000 # 1 year (fingerprinted)AWS Setup
The recommended AWS architecture uses S3, CloudFront, Lambda, and optional EC2/ECS for AI compute.
# Create S3 bucket for static hosting
aws s3 mb s3://my-site-bucket --region us-east-1
# Enable static website hosting
aws s3 website s3://my-site-bucket \
--index-document index.html \
--error-document 404.html
# Create CloudFront distribution (use console or IaC)
# Point origin to S3 bucket
# Configure custom domain and SSL via ACM
# Deploy Aether
aether deploy config --provider aws-s3 \
--bucket my-site-bucket \
--cloudfront-id EXAMPLEID
aether deployAzure Setup
Azure Static Web Apps provides an integrated solution for static hosting with serverless functions.
# Create resource group
az group create --name aether-rg --location eastus
# Create Static Web App
az staticwebapp create \
--name my-aether-site \
--resource-group aether-rg \
--source https://github.com/yourorg/your-site \
--branch main
# Configure custom domain
az staticwebapp hostname set \
--name my-aether-site \
--hostname www.example.comMonitoring
Aether exposes metrics and logs compatible with standard observability tools.
- Metrics: Prometheus-compatible endpoint at
/metrics - Logs: JSON structured logs to stdout
- Tracing: OpenTelemetry support for distributed tracing
- Alerts: Built-in alerting for build failures, API errors
Backups
Content is stored as JSON files in your source repository or object storage. Version control provides automatic backup and history.
Git-Based Content
By default, Aether stores content as JSON in a Git repository. Every change is a commit, giving you complete history and easy rollbacks. No database backups needed.