Charon: Just another Javascript no-backend blog

Welcome to Charon Engine, the simplest way to run a static blog. Tired of complex databases, expensive hosting, and endless security patches? Charon Engine is your one-way ticket to a backend-free paradise. Write in Markdown, and let a little JavaScript magic do the rest.

✨ Key Features

This blog engine is packed with features to make your blogging experience smooth and enjoyable:

• Completely Backend-Free: No databases, no server-side logic, just static files.
• Markdown-Powered: Write your content in simple Markdown files.
• Automatic Post Management: The sync.js script automatically scans your content, manages metadata, and organizes your files.
• Automatic Sorting: Articles are automatically sorted by publication date, from most recent to least recent.
• Interactive Tag Filter: On the homepage, you can select and filter articles based on specific tags to easily find content of interest.
• Customizable View Modes: Choose between a modern "grid" or a classic "list" view for your homepage.
• Smooth Page Transitions: Optional sliding animations for a seamless user experience.
• Syntax Highlighting: Code blocks are automatically highlighted for better readability.
• Mathematical Notation: Support for KaTeX for rendering mathematical formulas.
• Clean Navigation: The page automatically scrolls to the top when a new article or page is opened, improving the navigation experience.

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⚙️ Project Structure

The project structure is intuitive and easy to navigate

.
├── css/
│   ├── custom.css          # Your personal style overrides
│   └── style.css           # Framework's base styles
├── data/                   # The source of truth for post and page data
│   ├── pages.js
│   └── post.js
├── images/                 # All your visual assets
│   ├── <post_id>/          # Folder for each post's images (e.g., my_first_post)
│   │   └── post.png
│   ├── favicon.ico
│   └── logo.png
├── js/
│   ├── app.js              # The heart of the blog logic
│   └── site.js             # The brain of the blog settings
├── pages/                  # Markdown files for your static pages
│   └── about.md
├── posts/                  # Markdown files for your blog posts
│   └── <post_id>.md
└── index.html              # Your blog's single entry point

🚀 Quick Start

Getting started is easy.

Prerequisites

You'll need Node.js installed on your computer to use the sync.js script.

1. Set Up Your Site Start by configuring your blog in js/site.js.

   const SITE_SETTINGS = {
       siteName: "Charon Engine",
       footerText: "© 2024 Charon Engine. All rights reserved.",
       postsPath: "posts",
       imagesPath: "images",
       pagesPath: "pages", 
       logoNavbarPath: null,
       logoMainPath: "assets/logo.png",
       faviconPath: "assets/favicon.ico",
       viewMode: "grid", // Choose between "grid" or "list"
       enableAnimations: false // true enables animations, false disables them
   };

2. Create Your Content Just drop your Markdown files into the posts/ or pages/ folders. Don't worry about editing data/post.js or data/pages.js—the script handles that for you.

3. Automagic Run the synchronization script from your terminal.

   node sync.js

   This command will perform the following operations:

   • Scans the posts/ and pages/ directories.
   • Automatically updates data/post.js and data/pages.js with new entries.
   • Creates a dedicated image folder for each new post, if one doesn't exist.

4. Serve and Enjoy Simply open index.html in your favorite web browser. For local development, a simple web server (like live-server or Python's built-in server) is highly recommended to avoid CORS issues.

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🎨 Customization

• Global Settings: Edit js/site.js to change the site name, footer, logos, layout mode ("grid" or "list"), and animations.
• Custom CSS: Override any default styles by adding your own rules to css/custom.css.
• Post Metadata: Edit the data/post.js file to manually add metadata like author, publicationDate, and tags for your posts.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. For the full text, see the LICENSE file.