FastBlog

A self-hosted, lightweight blogging and portfolio platform built with FastAPI, SQLite, and Jinja2. This project is designed for simplicity and performance, utilizing client and server-side caching and Markdown rendering for dynamic content management.

Key Features

• FastAPI Framework: High-performance asynchronous web framework.
• SQLite Database: Zero-configuration database for storing posts and pages.
• Markdown Support: Write content in Markdown; the engine renders it to HTML.
• Admin Interface: Built-in dashboard to create, edit, and delete posts securely.
• Session Authentication: Secure login system with hashed passwords and session management.
• Caching Strategy: Implements server-side caching for static files and pages to optimize load times and client-side preloading.
• CLI Configuration: Includes a command-line utility for easy initial setup.

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone <repository-url>
cd <repository-name>

2. Set up a virtual environment

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows use: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies Ensure you have the required packages installed (FastAPI, Uvicorn, Jinja2, Markdown, Cachetools, Colorama, Python-Multipart).

pip install -r requirements.txt

Configuration

Before running the application, you must generate the configuration file. This handles site metadata, admin credentials, and legal information.

Run the interactive setup script:

python setup.py

Alternatively, you can run it non-interactively by passing arguments:

python setup.py --yes --admin-user "admin" --admin-pass "securepassword" --title "My Blog"

Usage

Starting the Server

To start the application, run the main entry point. The server will host on 0.0.0.0:8000 by default.

python main.py
# OR
uvicorn main:app --host HOST --port PORT

Accessing the Admin Panel

1. Navigate to http://localhost:8000/admin.
2. Log in using the credentials defined during the setup.py process.
3. From the dashboard, you can manage blog posts and view site content.

Directory Structure

• main.py: The core application entry point and logic.

• setup.py: Configuration generation script.

• templates/: Jinja2 HTML templates.

• static/: CSS, JavaScript, images, and Markdown files.

• static/markdown/: Place .md files here for static pages.

• static/css/themes/: CSS theme files.

• blog.db: SQLite database file (generated automatically upon first run).

License

Apache 2.0