What is Bludit used for?

Bludit is a flat-file CMS written in PHP that stores content as JSON files, supports Markdown and HTML, and needs no database to run. It is a good fit for running a small blog without a database, quickly launching a simple company website and hosting a lightweight CMS on shared PHP hosting.

Is Bludit open source?

Yes. Bludit is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bludit/bludit and is written mainly in PHP.

Yes. Bludit is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Bludit?

Yes. Bludit can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Bludit an alternative to?

Bludit is an open-source alternative to Blogger. Other open-source alternatives to Blogger include HTMLy, Halo and WordPress.

Is Bludit actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Bludit was on 22 September 2026, and the latest release is 3.22.0, published on 11 May 2026. The project has 1.5k stars on GitHub.

Bludit: open-source alternative to Blogger

About Bludit

Bludit is a flat-file content management system for building websites and blogs. It stores content as JSON files on disk instead of in a database, so installation does not involve setting up MySQL or similar, and all you need is a web server with PHP support.

Content can be written in Markdown or HTML, and the system is extended through plugins and themes. Requirements listed in the README are PHP 8.0 or newer with the mbstring, gd, dom and json modules. Installation means downloading the release, uploading it to a web server and following the installer. The README also explains how to configure reverse proxies correctly so client IP addresses are read properly for login protection and statistics.

Bludit is released under the MIT licence and written in PHP, and a Docker image is available according to its topics. Documentation, a forum, Discord and plugin and theme directories support the community. It suits individuals, bloggers and small organizations that want a quick, self-hosted site without database administration.

Key features

Flat-file storage using JSON
Markdown and HTML content
Plugins and themes
Installer-based setup
Login brute-force protection
Docker image available

Good fit for

→Running a small blog without a database
→Quickly launching a simple company website
→Hosting a lightweight CMS on shared PHP hosting

Built with: PHP
Tags: cms; flat-file; php; blog; markdown; json; plugins; themes; self-hosted

Bludit: questions and answers

What is Bludit used for?: Bludit is a flat-file CMS written in PHP that stores content as JSON files, supports Markdown and HTML, and needs no database to run. It is a good fit for running a small blog without a database, quickly launching a simple company website and hosting a lightweight CMS on shared PHP hosting.
Is Bludit open source?: Yes. Bludit is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at bludit/bludit and is written mainly in PHP.
Is Bludit free?: Yes. Bludit is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Bludit?: Yes. Bludit can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Bludit an alternative to?: Bludit is an open-source alternative to Blogger. Other open-source alternatives to Blogger include HTMLy, Halo and WordPress.
Is Bludit actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Bludit was on 22 September 2026, and the latest release is 3.22.0, published on 11 May 2026. The project has 1.5k stars on GitHub.