Microblog - A Simple PHP Blogging Platform

A lightweight microblogging platform built with PHP and SQLite, featuring an admin panel, image uploads, and customizable settings—all contained within a single index.php file.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Demo
• Requirements
• Installation
• Usage
• Security Considerations
• Customization
• Contributing
• License

Features

• Single File Deployment: Entire application runs from a single index.php file.
• SQLite Database: Uses SQLite for data storage, eliminating the need for a separate database server.
• Admin Panel: Manage posts, pages, comments, navbar links, and site settings from an intuitive admin interface.
• Image Uploads: Supports featured images for posts and pages, with automatic resizing and storage.
• Pagination and Infinite Scroll: Choose between pagination, infinite scroll, or displaying all posts on the homepage.
• Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly layout using Bootstrap, with adaptive navbar and content display.
• Customizable Navbar: Add, edit, or remove navbar links from the admin panel, including target settings (same tab or new tab).
• User Comments: Enable visitors to leave comments on posts, with admin approval required for publication.
• SEO-Friendly URLs: Clean URL structure for posts and pages.
• Favicon Support: Upload a custom favicon for your site.
• Security Features: Basic input sanitization and password hashing.

Demo

Not available right now.

Requirements

• PHP 7.0 or higher
• SQLite PDO extension enabled
• Web server (Apache, Nginx, etc.)
• File write permissions for the application directory

Installation

1. Download the Repository

   Clone the repository or download the index.php file directly.

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/microblog.git

2. Upload to Server

   Place the index.php file in the root directory of your web server.

3. Set Permissions

   Ensure the web server has write permissions for the following directories and files:

   • microblog.db (the SQLite database file)
   • uploads/ directory and its subdirectories (posts/, pages/, favicon/)

   chmod -R 0777 uploads
   chmod 0666 microblog.db

4. Access the Application

   Navigate to your site's URL to view the homepage.

   http://yourdomain.com/
   

5. Admin Login

   • Default admin username: admin

   • Default admin password: admin

   • Access the admin panel:

     http://yourdomain.com/login
     

   Important: After logging in, change the admin username and password from the Admin Settings tab for security purposes.

Usage

Admin Panel

Access the admin panel to manage your site content and settings.

• Posts

  • Add, edit, or delete blog posts.
  • Upload featured images for posts.
  • Posts support comments from visitors.

• Pages

  • Create static pages (e.g., About, Contact).
  • Pages do not have comment sections.
  • Upload featured images for pages.

• Comments

  • Review, approve, or delete visitor comments on posts.

• Navbar Links

  • Add or remove links in the navigation bar.
  • Specify link target: same tab (_self) or new tab (_blank).

• Settings

  • Update site logo, description, footer text, and favicon.
  • Choose homepage display option: Pagination, Infinite Scroll, or Show All.
  • Upload a custom favicon.

• Admin Settings

  • Change admin username and password.

Adding Content

1. Create a Post

   • Navigate to the Posts tab.
   • Fill in the Title and Content fields.
   • Upload a featured image (optional).
   • Click Add to publish the post.

2. Create a Page

   • Navigate to the Pages tab.
   • Fill in the Title and Content fields.
   • Upload a featured image (optional).
   • Click Add to publish the page.

Managing Comments

• Review new comments in the Comments tab.
• Approve comments to make them visible on the site.
• Delete inappropriate comments.

Customizing Navbar

• Add new links by specifying the Name, Link, and Target.
• Delete existing links as needed.

Visitor Interaction

• Visitors can read posts and pages.
• On posts, visitors can leave comments, which require admin approval.
• The site adapts to mobile devices with a responsive design.

Security Considerations

• Change Default Admin Credentials

  Update the admin username and password immediately after installation.

• Input Sanitization

  While basic sanitization is implemented, consider enhancing validation and sanitization to prevent SQL injection and XSS attacks.

• File Uploads

  • Only certain file types are allowed for uploads.
  • Uploaded images are stored in designated directories.
  • Ensure the uploads/ directory is not publicly writable.

• Regular Updates

  Keep your PHP version and extensions up to date to patch security vulnerabilities.

Customization

• Adjust Image Dimensions

  Modify the CSS classes .card-img-top and .featured-image-fixed in the <style> section to change image dimensions.

• Modify Styles

  Utilize the Bootstrap framework to customize the look and feel of your site.

• Enhance Features

  Since the application is contained in a single file, you can easily add new features or modify existing ones.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository and submit a pull request.

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature-name

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Description of changes"

4. Push to the branch:

   git push origin feature-name

5. Open a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.