CSS-Tricks leaves DigitalOcean and returns to independent ownership

CSS-Tricks is an independent publication again in 2026, after four years under DigitalOcean ownership — and the person holding the keys is the editor who has worked on the site for the past 12 years.

For practitioners who have relied on the site since Chris Coyier founded it in 2007, the change of hands matters for one concrete reason: the person now responsible for it has already shaped its editorial output for over a decade. The new owner frames the purchase as both an investment and a full-time job, at least for the near term. "Yes, I've got the keys to the castle, so to speak," the new owner wrote. "And, even after 12 years of working on the site, I'll admit I'm a little overwhelmed and nervous about that."

What happened to the site's ownership?

The chain is short. Chris Coyier founded CSS-Tricks in 2007 and ran it until 2022, when DigitalOcean purchased it. Now, in 2026, the site has passed out of the hosting company's portfolio and into independent hands, supported by a small team handling day-to-day management.

How will the site pay its bills?

Advertising returns, but under a model the site used before the DigitalOcean years: display ads, sponsored posts, and newsletter sponsors sold as real ad packages. The owner is direct about the limits of that revenue. Ad income cannot carry the site alone, and several other efforts are already in motion.

The clearest of these is an HTML and CSS course for beginners, currently in development. A membership program is live now, offering a members-only Discord community and perks, alongside a new shop. The course itself will be purchasable in the near future.

Why a beginners' course, and why now?

The reasoning is grounded in what the owner observes across the field: front-end courses are down across the board, and the industry sits in the early stages of a growing skills gap. CSS-Tricks has traditionally served people who already know what they are doing; the new direction adds entry points for those just starting.

"I'm truly committed to creating more entry points for those getting started, particularly as our field is in the early throes of a growing skills gap," the owner wrote. The belief follows that learning the basics matters more now than ever — but that how learning looks has to change, because the current course format is not working.

What happens to publishing?

New articles continue on a regular schedule, though at a slower cadence than readers may be used to: expect one or two articles most weeks as the operation starts rolling. Articles are part of the investment being made, not a cost to eliminate.

The guest writing form is open again. A backlog of commissioned pieces already covers the rest of the year, so new submissions will wait a bit before publication. Not everything will be accepted, but everything will be read and answered where possible — with one stated exception: slop submissions.

Who writes, and who edits?

The owner will not write most articles to save cost. The goal is a platform that gives other people a voice, a role the owner describes as publisher rather than author.

The responsibilities listed are three:

• helping writers develop a voice,
• giving them a platform to use that voice, so that
• they help others get a little better at their jobs.

After 12 years of writing for the site, the owner prefers working behind the curtain: editing a small stack of drafts, developing the site, and handling sponsorships. Community and culture building, not a personal soapbox, is the stated aim.

What about the newsletter?

The newsletter returns after what the owner calls a way-too-long hiatus. Subscribing to it is one of several non-financial ways to support the site, along with sharing articles, clicking through from RSS apps, and checking out sponsors — support the owner notes publishers need in what are described as these prompt-filled days.

What comes next?

The course is one of the first things readers will see, the newsletter is already returning, and other projects remain in the works. The owner promises to answer questions in the comments — a channel many publications abandoned years ago — and describes the plans for the site as an evolving discussion rather than a finished blueprint. For a publication approaching its twentieth year, the next chapter begins with a slower, community-first publishing rhythm and a bet that beginners are the audience the field has been leaving behind.