8log

8log is a lightweight, open-source blogging engine designed for simplicity and portability. It stores posts as plain text files with lightweight metadata and uses a templating system to render content into HTML, enabling self-hosted blogs with a small footprint.

Design and features: 8log emphasizes easy installation and minimal resource use. Posts are typically authored in Markdown or plain text, and the system generates index, archive, and individual post pages as well as feeds such as RSS or Atom. Theming is enabled through templates that separate content from presentation, allowing users to customize appearance without changing the underlying data. The setup is aimed at developers and users who prefer direct control over files and templates, rather than a large database-backed CMS.

Architecture and data model: The engine follows a flat-file approach, storing posts and metadata directly in the repository. Rendering is driven by a lightweight template engine, which makes it straightforward to create and apply new themes. This design favors portability and ease of backups, at the cost of some dynamic features available in database-backed systems.

History and status: Information on the exact origin and development trajectory of 8log is limited, and various forks exist with differing levels of maintenance. It is often cited in discussions of minimal, database-free blogging tools and as part of the broader lineage of flat-file blogging solutions.

See also: Flat-file blog engines, Minimalist blogging platforms, Static site generators.