FlatPress

FlatPress is a lightweight, file-based blogging engine written in PHP. It provides a simple, standards-compliant blog platform that runs on common web servers without requiring a database, making setup and backups straightforward.

Key Features

• Stores all content in files (no database required), simplifying backups and portability
• Themes powered by the Smarty templating engine for easy customization
• Extensible plugin system with widget support for adding functionality
• Built-in comments support with basic spam protection
• Multilingual support and a mature plugin/theme ecosystem maintained by the community
• Compatible with common web servers (e.g., Apache, NGINX, IIS) and PHP 7.1–8.4
• Small footprint and low operational complexity, suitable for simple hosting environments

Use Cases

• Personal or hobby blogs where simplicity and easy backups are priorities
• Small websites or documentation sites that do not require a database backend
• Teaching or prototyping environments to demonstrate PHP templating and plugin development

Limitations and Considerations

• File-based storage can limit scalability and performance on very high-traffic sites compared to database-backed CMSs
• Advanced CMS features (fine-grained user roles, complex content types, large-site optimization) are limited or require plugins
• Plugin quality and availability may vary; some customizations require PHP/Smarty knowledge

FlatPress is a mature, minimal blogging platform that favors simplicity and portability over enterprise features. It is well suited for low- to moderate-traffic blogs and sites where ease of setup and file-based backups are important.