Moving from WordPress to a home made blogging platform

After years of using WordPress for my blog, I decided it was time for a change. WordPress is a powerful tool, and for many, it’s the perfect choice. But for someone looking to customize, streamline, and focus on content rather than overhead, it started to feel less ideal. So, I developed a lightweight, custom nano blogging platform in PHP that better suits my needs.

Why I Made the Switch

Here are the main reasons I chose to leave WordPress:

  1. Security Overhead

    WordPress requires frequent core and plugin updates, which, if not applied in a timely manner, can expose the platform and server to vulnerabilities. With my custom platform, of only 300 lines the surface of attack is drastically reduced, as well as the need for security patches and the potential risk of infection.

  2. More Control Over Development

    Developing with WordPress often means navigating around its built-in systems, plugins, and hooks. For a streamlined blogging tool, I found WordPress too complex and cumbersome. My custom framework allows me to add or remove features as I see fit without compromise.

  3. Simplified Design

    WordPress themes can be powerful, but making even small tweaks often requires in-depth knowledge of PHP, CSS, and WordPress-specific functions. I wanted a simple, no-fuss design and found it easier to build from scratch than adapt an existing WordPress theme.

  4. Markdown Support

    Writing in Markdown rather than HTML makes creating posts more enjoyable and straightforward. WordPress does have plugins for Markdown, but they often add extra layers to the site, affecting speed and compatibility with other plugins. With my platform, Markdown support is native and lightweight.

  5. Cleaner HTML Output

    WordPress-generated HTML can be quite bloated due to layers of plugins, themes, and customization. By building a custom platform, I could generate clean, minimal HTML for faster loading and easier maintenance.

  6. Improved Speed

    WordPress can be slow, especially when using several plugins. My nano framework is lightweight and purpose-built, so it’s noticeably faster, particularly with page loads.

  7. Using Only What I Need

    WordPress has countless features, which is fantastic for some, but I found myself using only about 5% of what it offers. By building my own platform, I’m able to include only the essentials, resulting in a faster, easier-to-manage blogging tool.

The Outcome

Switching to this custom-built nano blogging framework has given me more control, better performance, and a more enjoyable writing experience. It’s a platform built just for me, and I’ve found it has improved both my workflow and the blog itself.

lighthouse tests

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browser network tab

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