Bludit

Bludit is a lightweight, flat‑file Content Management System written in PHP that eliminates the need for a traditional database layer. From a developer’s perspective, this design translates into a minimal runtime footprint and straightforward file‑system operations: each page, post, or media asset is stored as a JSON file under the content/ directory. The core engine parses these files on demand, builds a virtual DOM, and renders HTML through PHP templates. Because all data lives in plain files, version control (Git) becomes a natural fit for content management and collaborative editing.

Technical Stack & Architecture

• Language: PHP 5.6+ (full UTF‑8 support via mbstring). The core is procedural with a small object layer for plugins and themes.
• Data Layer: JSON flat files – no external database. Metadata (author, tags, dates) is embedded in the same file as the body content.
• Template Engine: Native PHP templating; themes are simple PHP/HTML files that consume data from the core and expose hooks ($page->content(), $page->title()).
• Extensions: A plugin API exposes lifecycle events (onInit, onPageLoad, onAdminSave) and a small set of helper classes ($page, $theme, $router). Themes can override CSS/JS and provide custom layouts.
• Security: No external libraries are loaded; all processing is sandboxed. Image manipulation relies on the built‑in gd library, and DOM parsing uses PHP’s dom extension.

Core Capabilities

• Markdown & WYSIWYG Editing: The admin panel offers a live Markdown preview and an optional HTML editor, both powered by client‑side libraries (not required on the server).
• SEO & Social Meta: Automatic OpenGraph/Twitter card tags are generated from page metadata; XML sitemaps can be enabled via a plugin.
• Plugin System: Up to 500+ community plugins exist (SEO, analytics, e‑commerce, API gateways). Plugins are simple PHP classes placed in plugins/ and registered through a JSON manifest.
• REST‑like API: While not a full REST framework, Bludit exposes JSON endpoints for content retrieval (/api/v1/posts) and can be extended to support OAuth or JWT via plugins.
• Theming: Themes are pure PHP/HTML/CSS bundles that can hook into the core’s rendering pipeline. A theme can override default admin pages, add custom widgets, or alter URL routing.

Deployment & Infrastructure

• Self‑Hosting: Requires only a web server with PHP support (Apache, Nginx, or the built‑in PHP dev server). No database installation is needed.
• Scalability: For high‑traffic sites, a CDN can cache the static assets and rendered pages. Because content is file‑based, scaling horizontally is trivial: duplicate the repository across servers and sync via Git or rsync.
• Containerization: An official Docker image is available (bludit/docker). Containers can be orchestrated with Docker Compose or Kubernetes; the content/ volume should be mounted as a persistent claim for data durability.
• Backup & Rollback: Since all content is in files, a simple tar or Git snapshot provides point‑in‑time restores. Plugins can also expose backup hooks.

Integration & Extensibility

• Webhooks: The plugin API allows developers to fire custom events on content changes, enabling integrations with CI/CD pipelines or external CMSs.
• Custom API Endpoints: By creating a plugin, developers can expose new JSON routes or GraphQL endpoints for headless consumption.
• Third‑Party Services: Plugins exist for Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and Stripe. Developers can write their own adapters to integrate any REST service.
• Custom Fields: Metadata can be extended via the admin UI, and plugins can register new field types (e.g., color picker, file upload).

Developer Experience

Bludit’s documentation is concise and focused on the core concepts: installation, theming, plugin development, and API usage. The community is active on Discord, GitHub Issues, and the forum, providing quick feedback loops for bug reports or feature requests. The codebase is well‑structured with clear namespaces, making it approachable for contributors who are new to PHP or CMS internals. The MIT license removes licensing concerns, encouraging commercial use and modification.

Use Cases

• Personal Blogs & Portfolios: Quick setup, Markdown editing, and no database maintenance make it ideal for individual developers.
• Documentation Sites: The flat‑file nature pairs well with static site generators; developers can host docs that auto‑deploy from a Git repo.
• Small Business Websites: SEO tools, theme flexibility, and minimal hosting costs suit small enterprises with limited budgets.
• Headless Frontends: Expose content via the API and consume it in React, Vue, or static site generators for a decoupled architecture.

Advantages Over Alternatives

• Zero‑Configuration: No database migrations, making deployment painless across shared hosting or low‑cost VPS.
• Performance: File I/O is faster than most lightweight SQL queries for read‑heavy workloads; caching layers (OPcache, Varnish) further boost speed.
• Flexibility: JSON files are human‑editable; developers can script content creation or migration without touching the CMS.
• Licensing: MIT license permits commercial use,