Noircir - Blog Generator for bdx.town

Noircir is a blog generator developed for bdx.town, aiming to address issues with the current Plume platform. Due to concerns about its reliability and a commitment to eco-responsibility, the transition to a static file-based solution became necessary.

Project Focus

• Not Another Static Blog Generator: Noircir utilizes 11ty to create a static file-based CMS, ensuring users can manage blogs independently without relying on servers other than Nginx.
• User Experience Considerations: The project focuses on improving user experience, especially for non-tech-savvy users, by using static HTML files to create a multi-page application with progressive enhancement.
• Eco-responsability: Effortlessly create a minimalistic blog using flat files, promoting responsible practices such as image dithering, media compression, and the use of lightweight JavaScript bundles for a swift and eco-friendly browsing experience. Prioritize simplicity without compromising on thoughtful behaviors.

Technical Components

• Vite Project: Customized Vite project generates multiple HTML files, forming a lightweight CMS app.
• NGINX Server: Configured with Webdav for source content file management and potential future authentication handling.
• Automation Scripts: Scripts trigger 11ty when files are created, edited, or deleted.
• 11ty: Serves as the core static site generator for effective blog management.

CMS Features

Users can:

• View blog posts
• Create new blog posts
• Edit existing blog posts
• Add media to blog posts
• Delete blog posts
• Remove media

Configuration

You can set or change these values in your environement in order to change some parameters:

# noircir folder: where you saved noircir files
ENV NOIRCIR_FOLDER="/noircir"
# nginx root: all noircir data will be saved there, blogs and generated content
ENV NGINX_FOLDER=/var/www/html
# 11ty base path: all blogs data will be saved there. Will be under NGINX_FOLDER
ENV BLOGS_FOLDER=blogs
# blog's ressources: each blog has it's own ressources folder, where all media will be uploaded. Will be under NGINX_FOLDER/BLOGS_FOLDER/username
ENV RESSOURCES_FOLDER=ressources
# Please create a dedicated to run noircir and it to the nginx www-data group
ENV WWW_USER=noircir
# must match nginx group
ENV WWW_GROUP=www-data

Roadmap

• use Oauth instead of basic Auth
• Offline operation
• prevent ressources folder to be erased
• Ensure meta.json format after edition
• Prevent files that are not media / markdown to be uploaded via webdav
• use alpine instead of debian for container

Mockups

Explore the Figma mockups for a visual representation.

Tools

• Blog generator 11ty - Static site generator
• Webdav library - Used for Webdav functionality