{B/qKC} is a community archive operating on the principles of accessible storytelling, repair of our historical record, and intergenerational power building—all within the frame and study of midwestern Black queer history. Founded by Nasir Anthony Montalvo in 2024, this project challenges institutional archival practices and creates permanent, accessible records of Black queer midwestern histories.

Visit the live archive at https://bqkc.1800nasi.net

Learn more on our About page or view public programs.

Technical Overview

This site is built with CollectionBuilder-CSV, a robust and flexible template for creating digital collection and exhibit websites using Jekyll and metadata CSV files. The resulting static site is self-hosted on a YunoHost server with automated deployment.

Our Stack:

🌐 Static Site Generator: Jekyll (CollectionBuilder-CSV template)
🗂️ Content Management: Git + Gitea (self-hosted)
🏠 Hosting: YunoHost on Raspberry Pi 4
🔗 Decentralized Storage: IPFS for archival materials
⚡ Deployment: Automated via cron + bash scripts

Development Workflow

Quick Start for Editing

Edit locally in Visual Studio Code
Commit changes using VS Code's Source Control pane
Push to Gitea (git push gitea main)
Site auto-deploys within 1 minute! ✨

Three Ways to Deploy

1. Auto-Deploy (Primary Method) ✨

What it does: Automatically deploys when you push to Gitea

How it works:

A cron job runs every minute checking for new commits
When changes are detected, it pulls and rebuilds the site
You receive an email notification when deployment completes
Takes ~10-30 seconds to build and deploy

Usage:

# On your local machine:
git add .
git commit -m "Update collection metadata"
git push gitea main

# Wait ~1 minute, check your email, site is live!

2. Manual SSH Deploy 🔧

What it does: Instantly deploy without waiting for cron

When to use: Need immediate update, testing, or troubleshooting

Usage:

# SSH into server:
ssh 1800nasi@floridas-finest.noho.st

# Switch to app user:
sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp

# Run deployment:
cd /var/www/my_webapp
./deploy.sh

# Exit:
exit

3. SFTP File Management 📁

What it does: Direct file access via SFTP client (FileZilla, etc.)

When to use: Quick fixes, emergency edits, file inspection

Connection details:

Host: bqkc.1800nasi.net
Username: my_webapp
Port: 22
Path: /var/www/my_webapp/

⚠️ Important: Changes made via SFTP to tracked files will be overwritten on next git push. Always treat git as your source of truth. Only use SFTP for untracked files or emergency situations.

How Auto-Deployment Works

The Technical Details

Bash Scripts:

auto-pull.sh - Checks for new commits from Gitea every minute
deploy.sh - Builds the Jekyll site and syncs to live directory

Cron Job:

Runs auto-pull.sh every minute
Extremely lightweight (uses virtually no resources)
Logs all activity to /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

The Flow:

You push code to Gitea from your Mac
Cron runs auto-pull.sh every minute
Script checks: "Is local code different from Gitea?"
If yes: pulls new code and runs deploy.sh
deploy.sh runs bundle exec rake deploy (builds site)
Built site is synced to /var/www/my_webapp/www/ (live directory)
Email notification sent to 1800nasi@tutamail.com
Site is live!

Why this approach?

No PHP required (keeps site purely static)
No webhooks or complex CI/CD
Self-contained using only Linux built-in tools
Perfect for Raspberry Pi hosting
Aligns with decentralized, minimal-dependency philosophy

Monitoring & Logs

Check Deployment Logs

View recent deployments:

sudo tail -50 /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

See all auto-deploy triggers:

sudo grep "New changes detected" /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

Watch deployment in real-time:

sudo tail -f /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

Check if cron is running:

sudo systemctl status cron

View cron execution history:

sudo grep "auto-pull" /var/log/syslog | tail -10

Backup Logs

Deployment logs are automatically rotated and backed up:

Current log: /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log
Backups: /var/www/my_webapp/backups/logs/
Retention: Last 30 days
Archives older than 30 days are automatically deleted

Troubleshooting Guide

Site Didn't Update After Push

Step 1: Verify changes are on Gitea

Check the Gitea web interface: https://gitea.floridas-finest.noho.st/1800nasi/bqkc
Confirm your commit appears in the commit history

Step 2: Check deployment log

sudo grep "New changes detected" /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log | tail -5

Step 3: Verify cron is running

sudo systemctl status cron

Step 4: Manually trigger deployment

sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp
./auto-pull.sh

Step 5: Check for errors

sudo tail -100 /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

Deployment Errors

Check error details:

sudo tail -100 /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log

Common issues and fixes:

Ruby/Bundle errors:

sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp/repo/bqkc
bundle install
exit

Git errors (uncommitted local changes):

sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp/repo/bqkc
git status
git reset --hard HEAD  # Discard local changes
git pull origin main
exit

Permission errors:

sudo chown -R my_webapp:my_webapp /var/www/my_webapp
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/my_webapp

SFTP Access Issues

Verify user has correct permissions:

groups my_webapp
# Should show: my_webapp ssh.app sftp.app

If ssh.app is missing:

sudo usermod -aG ssh.app my_webapp
sudo systemctl restart ssh

Check SSH service:

sudo systemctl status ssh

View SSH logs for errors:

sudo journalctl -u ssh -n 50 | grep my_webapp

Email Notifications Not Working

Check mail service:

sudo systemctl status postfix

Test email manually:

echo "Test deployment notification" | mail -s "Test from {B/qKC}" 1800nasi@tutamail.com

Check mail logs:

sudo tail -50 /var/log/mail.log

Emergency Rollback

If a deployment breaks the site, rollback to a previous version:

Step 1: Find the commit to rollback to

sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp/repo/bqkc
git log --oneline -10  # Shows last 10 commits

Step 2: Rollback to specific commit

git reset --hard COMMIT_HASH
# Example: git reset --hard a1b2c3d

Step 3: Deploy the rolled-back version

cd /var/www/my_webapp
./deploy.sh
exit

Step 4: Update Gitea (force push)

# On your local Mac:
git fetch gitea
git reset --hard COMMIT_HASH
git push gitea main --force

Site Completely Broken

Nuclear option - restore from backup:

# List available backups:
ls -lh /var/www/my_webapp/backups/site/

# Restore from backup (replace DATE with actual backup date):
sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp
tar -xzf backups/site/site-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.tar.gz -C www/
exit

File & Directory Structure

/var/www/my_webapp/
├── repo/bqkc/          # Git repository (source code)
│   ├── _config.yml     # Site configuration
│   ├── _data/          # Collection metadata CSV
│   ├── pages/          # Site pages
│   └── _site/          # Built site (generated by Jekyll)
├── www/                # Live website (served to public)
├── backups/            # Automated backups
│   ├── logs/           # Deployment log archives
│   └── site/           # Daily site backups
├── deploy.sh           # Main deployment script
├── auto-pull.sh        # Auto-deployment checker
└── deploy.log          # Deployment activity log

Maintenance Tasks

Update Ruby Dependencies

sudo yunohost app shell my_webapp
cd /var/www/my_webapp/repo/bqkc
bundle update
git add Gemfile.lock
git commit -m "Update Ruby dependencies"
git push origin main
exit

Clear Old Backups Manually

Backups are auto-cleaned, but to manually clear:

# Remove backups older than 30 days:
sudo find /var/www/my_webapp/backups/ -type f -mtime +30 -delete

Check Disk Space

df -h /var/www/my_webapp

View System Resource Usage

htop  # Interactive process viewer (press 'q' to quit)

CollectionBuilder Resources

For detailed information about working with CollectionBuilder:

CollectionBuilder Docs - Complete documentation
Metadata Guide - How to format your collection metadata
Configuration Guide - Customizing your site
Theme Customization - Design and styling
Discussion Forum - Ask questions

Quick CollectionBuilder Tips

Update collection metadata:

Edit _data/metadata.csv
Commit and push changes
Site auto-rebuilds with new metadata

Change site configuration:

Edit _config.yml
Commit and push changes
Site auto-rebuilds

Add custom pages:

Create .md files in pages/ directory
Add front matter (title, layout, etc.)
Commit and push

About CollectionBuilder

CollectionBuilder is a project of University of Idaho Library's Digital Initiatives and the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning (CDIL) following the Lib-Static methodology.

Powered by:

Jekyll - Static site generator
Bootstrap - CSS framework
DataTables - Interactive tables
Leaflet.js - Interactive maps
Lunr.js - Client-side search

Support {B/qKC}

This archive is made possible through community support and the dedication of Black queer elders sharing their stories.

Support the archive:

Donate
Subscribe to Newsletter
Share the archive with your networks

Contact:

Email: Contact form
Archive inquiries: collectionbuilder.team@gmail.com (technical)

License

CollectionBuilder code is licensed MIT.

This license does not include:

Digital collection objects and images (individually licensed, see "rights" field in metadata)
External dependencies in assets/lib directory (covered by individual licenses)

Technical Support

For {B/qKC}-specific deployment issues:

Check this README's troubleshooting section first
Review deployment logs: sudo tail -100 /var/www/my_webapp/deploy.log
Contact: Nasir Anthony Montalvo

For CollectionBuilder questions:

Last updated: January 28, 2026

"Plainly put, the far right is erasing Blackness from the fabrics of America, so historical collection can no longer be a passive process; it must be applied radically."

— Nasir Anthony Montalvo

Description

for {B/qKC}'s website

https://bqkc.1800nasi.net

Readme MIT Cite this repository 36 MiB

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