Staticman

Overview:

Staticman is a Node.js application that allows users to add dynamic content, such as blog post comments, to fully static websites. It works by receiving user-generated content and uploading it as data files to a GitHub and/or GitLab repository. By automatically deploying the site on every push to the repository, it enables dynamic content on static websites hosted on platforms like GitHub Pages, GitLab Pages, and Netlify.

Features:

• Dynamic content on static websites: Staticman enables dynamic content, such as blog post comments, on static websites.
• User-generated content: It allows users to generate content through forms, which is then uploaded as data files to the repository.
• Moderation: Users can enable moderation, where files are pushed to a separate branch and a pull request is created for approval.
• Easy installation on personal infrastructure: Users can download and run the Staticman API on their own infrastructure, with the easiest option being to use the free tier of Heroku.
• Customizable configuration: Staticman offers a range of configuration parameters that allow users to customize its behavior according to their needs.

Installation:

To install and set up Staticman on your own infrastructure, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository and install the dependencies using npm.
2. Create a development config file from the provided sample file.
3. Edit the newly-created config file with your GitHub and/or GitLab access token, SSH private key, and the port to run the server.
4. Start the server. Note that each environment requires its own configuration file.
5. When ready to go live, create a production config file and deploy it.

For detailed Docker installation instructions, refer to the provided guide.

To set up Staticman on a repository, you need to add the Staticman bot as a collaborator with write access. Then, send a GET request to a specified URL to prompt the bot to accept the invitation.

For site configuration, Staticman looks for a config file depending on the version being used. For v1 endpoints, it is a _config.yml file with a staticman property inside, while for v2 endpoints, Staticman looks for a staticman.yml file at the root of the repository.

For a comprehensive list of available configuration parameters, refer to the documentation page.

Summary:

Staticman is a powerful Node.js application that allows users to add dynamic content to static websites. By receiving user-generated content and uploading it as data files to a GitHub and/or GitLab repository, it enables features like blog post comments on websites hosted on platforms like GitHub Pages and GitLab Pages. With its easy installation process and customizable configuration parameters, Staticman provides a user-friendly solution for adding dynamic elements to static websites.