Self-host FlatPress
1.5.1Lightweight flat-file blogging engine in PHP
- Stars
- 217
What is FlatPress?
FlatPress is a lightweight blogging engine that stores all content in flat files instead of a database. It runs on any standard web server with PHP 7.2 to 8.5. Key capabilities include a plugin system with widget support, customizable themes powered by Smarty templates, built-in comments with spam protection, and support for over 20 languages. Installation is simple: download the archive, unzip, upload to your web server, and run the web-based installer. The project has been actively maintained since 2006 and is licensed under GNU GPLv2.
Should you self-host FlatPress?
FlatPress scores 50/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #11 of 24 in Blogging. It has 217 GitHub stars.
It shipped 2 stable releases in the past year. The latest, 1.5.1, came out on 24 March 2026. New versions land roughly every 9 days.
Setup is easy: most people get it running in one sitting. It is GPL-2.0-licensed and written mostly in PHP.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Typecho (66/100, 12 457 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See FlatPress vs Typecho side by side.
Features
- Comments with spam protection
- Flat File Storage
- Multi-language Support
- Plugin System
- RSS Feeds
- Theme System
FlatPress README
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