Lightweight PHP Blog Open Source

Lightweight PHP Blog: Create Your Own Facebook-like Feed

Are you in search of a simple, self-hosted blogging platform that offers the perfect blend of minimalism and functionality? Look no further! Welcome to the world of the Lightweight PHP Blog, where you can craft your own Facebook-style feed with ease. This blog at CODCrafters is created by the Usman Ghias. This lightweight, single-user PHP blog is designed to give you an elegant platform to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the features, installation process, and benefits of the Lightweight PHP Blog.

Introducing the Lightweight PHP Blog

The Lightweight PHP Blog is more than just a blogging platform; it's a creative canvas where you can compose rich-text posts enriched with photos, highlighted code snippets, and links. Built with simplicity and performance in mind, this blog comes packed with essential features and offers a seamless user experience.

Key features of the Lightweight PHP Blog include:

• Zero NPM Dependency: Say goodbye to hefty node_modules directories. The Lightweight PHP Blog is a breath of fresh air with its lightweight structure.
• Pure Code: With no pipelines or complicated installations required, what you see is what you get – clean and hassle-free code.
• Essential Features: The blog comes with features that matter most, ensuring you have everything you need without unnecessary clutter.

Live Demo

Check out the live demo of the Lightweight PHP Blog here: Live Demo

Please note that the demo has limited resources and strict rate limiting, but it offers a great opportunity to witness this exceptional product in action.

Installation Made Easy with Docker

Setting up the Lightweight PHP Blog is a breeze with Docker. You can run the blog in a Docker container without any initial configuration. To get started, simply use the following command:

docker run -d -p 80:80 -v $PWD/data:/var/www/html/data m1k1o/blog:latest

If you prefer a more customized setup, you can leverage environment variables to configure your blog exactly the way you want it. For instance:

shCopy codedocker run -d \
  -p 80:80 \
  -e "TZ=Europe/Vienna" \
  -e "BLOG_TITLE=My Awesome Blog" \
  -e "BLOG_NAME=John Doe" \
  -e "BLOG_NICK=johndoe" \
  -e "BLOG_PASS=secretpassword" \
  -e "BLOG_LANG=en" \
  -v $PWD/data:/var/www/html/data \
  m1k1o/blog:latest

For a more comprehensive setup guide using docker-compose, be sure to check out the docker-compose.yml file.

Database Choices: MySQL and Postgres

The Lightweight PHP Blog supports both MySQL and Postgres as database providers, giving you the flexibility to choose the one that suits your needs. Whether you opt for the robustness of MySQL or the power of Postgres, setting up your preferred database is a seamless process with clear instructions provided.

Installation Without Docker

While Docker offers a convenient setup, if you prefer manual installation, you have that option too. Requirements include Apache 2.0*, PHP 7.4, and either MariaDB 10.1 or SQLite 3.

It's important to note that if you choose to install without Docker, you'll need to pay special attention to security considerations to protect sensitive data.

Features That Stand Out

The Lightweight PHP Blog doesn't just stop at being lightweight – it's packed with features designed to enhance your blogging experience:

• Dark Mode and Retina-Ready Design: Aesthetic options like dark mode and retina-ready themes ensure your blog looks stunning across devices.
• Use of BBcode: Utilize BBcode to format your texts and create visually appealing posts.
• Controlled Accessibility: Define who can access your posts – whether it's everyone, only you, or a select group of friends.
• Enhanced Post Details: Add extra fields to your posts, including "Feeling," "With," and "At," to provide more context to your readers.
• Flexible Image Upload: Share images with ease by uploading them through buttons, drag-and-drop, or simply using Ctrl + V (paste).
• Code Highlighting: Highlight code snippets in your posts using the [code]..your code..[/code] tag.
• Goal Highlighting: Draw attention to your goals using the [goal]Text of your goal.[/goal] tag.
• Tagging Made Easy: Add tags to your posts for easy categorization and sorting.
• Advanced Sorting and Filtering: Sort posts in reverse order, filter by hashtags, location, and date ranges, all through simple URLs.

Mandatory Access Control

Your content's security and visibility are of utmost importance. The Lightweight PHP Blog implements a robust Mandatory Access Control (MAC) system with three distinct access levels:

• Private Posts: Keep your posts exclusively for yourself, accessible only through your unique account credentials.
• Friends-Only Posts: Share your thoughts with a select group of friends by specifying their credentials in the configuration.
• Public Posts: Showcase your content to the world with public posts accessible without login.

Localization and Language Support

The Lightweight PHP Blog embraces diversity and provides support for multiple languages and timezones. You can easily customize the timezone and language to suit your preferences.