This episdoe introduces Chyrp Lite, an ultra-lightweight blogging engine designed for self-hosters seeking maximum control with minimal overhead. It addresses the common problem of website bloat caused by massive platforms with unnecessary features. Chyrp Lite, in development since 2014, prioritizes simplicity, reliability, and extensibility, adhering to web standards with a philosophy of “development, not drama.” Despite its lightweight nature, it doesn’t sacrifice modern design or accessibility, featuring responsive, W3C-validated HTML5 with ARIA labeling and semantic markup, and offering five built-in themes. The engine’s power lies in its content structuring system, which uses “Feathers” for custom post types and “Pages” for static content, allowing for highly customized input screens and a clear separation of content. Installation is straightforward, involving database creation, file upload, and a browser-based install script, with a Docker alternative available. Chyrp Lite requires PHP 8.1+ and supports multiple databases, integrating modern extensions for performance and security. Additional modules enhance functionality, including caching, a simple math-based CAPTCHA for spam prevention (mptcha), and “Mentionable” for decentralized web interactions. The platform is open-source under a permissive BSD license, emphasizing user control and transparency. Chyrp Lite offers a flexible and efficient alternative to larger platforms, enabling users to build highly focused and custom web publishing experiences.
