[opensourcedex]

bludit is a free, open source blogging & personal sites project written in PHP and released under MIT. It has 1,466 GitHub stars, 335 forks and 21 open issues, and was last pushed 3 days ago. On this registry it ranks #19 of 25 tracked projects in Blogging & Personal Sites, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 1 stars over the last 3 tracked days.

What is bludit?

What it is

Bludit is flat-file CMS. It runs in PHP web hosting ecosystem. It is categorized as Content & Publishing / Blogging & Personal Sites. It functions as blog engine, content management engine, and flat-file engine. It is written in PHP and licensed under MIT.

It solves database setup burden. Content stored in JSON files. No database install or configuration needed. Web server with PHP support is enough. Authors create website or blog content without database layer.

Key capabilities

  • Stores site content and configuration in JSON. No database needed.
  • Supports Markdown and HTML content. Authors write posts with markup or raw HTML.
  • Requires PHP 8.0 or higher. Requires PHP mbstring module for full UTF-8 support, PHP gd module for image processing, PHP dom module for DOM manipulation, and PHP json module for JSON manipulation.
  • Extends with plugins and themes from plugins.bludit.com and themes.bludit.com listed in README resources.
  • Provides web installer after upload. Site setup happens through browser.
  • Runs behind Apache, nginx, or reverse proxy when web server rewrites REMOTE_ADDR to real client IP.
  • Supports upgrade steps within same major version.

Who uses it and how

  • Bloggers and site owners download zip, extract, upload to hosting, visit domain, run installer.
  • Self-hosters deploy on web server or local machine. PHP built-in server works for quick testing.
  • Docker users run bludit/docker:latest and map port 8000 to port 80.
  • Operators behind Cloudflare, nginx, or Apache configure mod_remoteip or ngx_http_realip_module. Login blocklist and visitor statistics then see real client IP.
  • Direct, localhost, and intranet deployments need no proxy configuration.

Getting started

Install by downloading latest zip from Bludit.com, extracting, uploading to web server, visiting domain, running installer. Quick testing uses php -S localhost:8000 or Docker image bludit/docker:latest; README shows download, upload, installer, PHP built-in server, and Docker testing.

When to use it — and when not to

Use Bludit for simple blogs or personal sites when operator wants PHP hosting without database setup. Self-hoster still operates web server, PHP modules, file storage, and reverse-proxy IP rewriting if site is not accessed directly. The main weakness is that Bludit reads only REMOTE_ADDR and does not trust proxy headers such as X-Forwarded-For or CF-Connecting-IP, so misconfigured deployments can block the proxy or count all traffic as one visitor.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Bludit

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Bludit the Simple, Fast, and Flexible CMS.

With Bludit, you can build your own website or blog in just seconds. It’s completely free, open-source, and easy to use. Bludit stores content in JSON format, eliminating the need for database installation or configuration. All you need is a web server with PHP support.

As a Flat-File CMS, Bludit offers unparalleled flexibility and speed. Plus, with support for both Markdown and HTML code, creating and managing content has never been easier.

Resources

Requirements

  • Webserver with PHP support.
  • PHP v8.0 or higher version.
  • PHP mbstring module for full UTF-8 support.
  • PHP gd module for image processing.
  • PHP dom module for DOM manipulation.
  • PHP json module for JSON manipulation.

Installation

  1. Download the latest version from the official page: Bludit.com
  2. Extract the zip file into a directory, such as bludit.
  3. Upload the bludit directory to your web server or hosting.
  4. Visit your domain (e.g., https://example.com/bludit/).
  5. Follow the Bludit Installer to set up your website.

Note — running behind Cloudflare, nginx, Apache or another reverse proxy: Bludit reads the client IP from REMOTE_ADDR only. Proxy headers like X-Forwarded-For or CF-Connecting-IP are not trusted at the PHP layer because any client can forge them. If your site sits behind a reverse proxy, configure the webserver to rewrite REMOTE_ADDR to the real client IP before PHP sees it — otherwise the login brute-force blocklist will block the proxy itself (locking out every visitor after enough failed logins) and visitor statistics will count all traffic as a single visitor.

No configuration is needed for direct / localhost / intranet deployments.

Quick installation for testing

You can use PHP Built-in web server (php -S localhost:8000) or Docker:

docker pull bludit/docker:latest
docker run -d --name bludit -p 8000:80 bludit/docker:latest

Then open http://localhost:8000

Upgrading Bludit

The following steps are valid for upgrading to any version of Bludit from the same major version. The major version is the first digit in the version number, for example, Bludit v3.x.

  1. Make a full backup, no discussion here, entire backup of the files and directories. That means copy ALL files into a new folder.
  2. Remember which version of Bludit you are using for a possible roll-back.
  3. Download the latest version from the official page.
  4. Extract the zip file.
  5. Replace existing files with the new files.
  6. Clean your browser cache, and please read the note below.
  7. Log into the admin area and check your settings.
  8. Done.

Note: If your website is behind some kind of server cache system (for example, Cloudflare provides one by default) you need to purge the files there, too. It's also a good idea to clear your browser cache. Bludit tries to reload the files with the new ones, but some components like TinyMCE may not reload, and provoke some issues in the UI or throw out JavaScript errors.

Support Bludit

Bludit is open-source and free to use, but if you find the project useful and would like to support its development, you can contribute on Patreon. As a token of our appreciation, supporters will receive Bludit PRO.

If you prefer, you can also make a one-time donation to buy us a coffee or beer. Every contribution helps us continue to improve Bludit and provide the best possible experience for our users.

License

Bludit is open source software licensed under the MIT license.

Frequently asked questions

Is bludit free to use?

bludit is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does bludit do?

Simple, Fast, Secure, Flat-File CMS

What is bludit written in?

bludit is primarily written in PHP. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/bludit/bludit, and it has 1,466 GitHub stars.