The CMS
I happened across the web revival / indie web / Neocities scene recently, and fell in love. It's like the good old days of the web all over again. So I wanted to make my own website. In the process of making the website I started to build tools to help me create content. I started with an article system using SQL and ejs templates. This reduced the need to go into the server and edit the raw files. It kinda just kept going from there. The current features are:
- Server and database hosting package - easy to setup
- Article builder
- Page builder
- Theme Builder
- Custom emojis
- Custom widgets that can be dropped in anywhere (e.g. a guestbook, hit counter, music player)
- Global site settings with config and data import / export and backup.
- Performance stats and debugging tools
the goal is to create a low-code tool that makes building a web 1.0 style site easy. Exposing as much customisation as possible. Build content in HTML & CSS, but option to use an editor.
Compatibility is important. The main features do not require any JS, and the rendering is built to provide a simple, static page for the visitor. Can be extended to use JS, but limited use inside of optional widgets.
No bulky JS frameworks, focus on performance. This is for personal sites, not business sites. Built for retro web enthusiasts. The idea is to help people build websites, the more people with their own personal site to share with the world, the better. The tools don't hide anything, both non-technical and technical users should find this useful. There's plenty of opportunity to learn HTML, CSS, JS and other web development technologies while using the tools, no masking things to make it more "accessible". No awful corporate dogma and bloat. No "opinion".
This site you're on is built almost entirely using the low-code features. You absolutely have the option to go in, add your own code, and have it seamlessly work with the rest of the site.
Wiki and examples to come.