I’m not into social media; I’ve tried it, but I didn’t really get into it or like it. I found it too stressful and time-consuming. I have a work and a personal website, the personal, which I hosted using a flat CMS app called Bludit. It was quick, easy to use and very configurable. It’s still a live site here. It’s also mobile-friendly. Not bad.
One day during a server update, I was having a sniff around in the Yunohost catalogue and saw a flat-file blogging app called Pure Blog, and thought that I’d give it a spin.
The installation and setup are a breeze. Be sure to complete the post-install as soon as you have done the main install, ie, you set the user, password and site details. Have a look at the excellent Pure Blog docs for your type of install, as mine is all packaged up by the Yunohost community.
Once installed and you log in to the admin area, you will be up and running in no time. It’s very simple and very straightforward to write and edit content. The app is very well written and easy to use. Being a flat file app, there is no database to piss about with.
Uploading and dropping pictures into your content is simple and straightforward.
This is a blogging app, not an all singing all dancing web building app. It’s a no nonsense, easy-to-use blogging app (hate that word. Blogging. euuk!).
If you are after photo carousels, setting up a shop online or clever stuff, then this is not the app for you. Pure Blog is very configurable with a bit of HTML, but if you are just after a quick way to say something with photos, then it’s an absolute winner. I'm not into comments, so it's a function I don't need. If you have something to say, just email me. For me, life is very simple in the online world.
Fortunately, because I’m not a regular internet writer, I didn’t really have a lot of posts to transfer from Bludit to Pure Blog. With Pure Blog, you can do both HTML and Markdown. I like Markdown, so I converted all my HTML posts from Bludit to Pure Blog using CodeBeautify, an online converter. Once all the posts were converted and put into new posts in Pure Blog, I just cleaned up some details, like descriptions and dates, and I was finished.
What you are looking at here are the fruits of my labours. I write when I see or do something reasonably interesting, so I'm not a regular, although the ease and speed of using Pure Blog could change that. Maybe.
In all, a very pleasant experience. If you have more posts to move over, then it might take a while, but there are some importers available from Pure Blog; sadly, Bludit was not on the list.
In Summary
I love it… It’s well written, easy to install, quick and responsive, with just the right amount of functionality, for me anyway, an internet loner! And it has Markdown and HTML edditing editing; it’s nice and quick to get posts up with pictures using a mobile device when you are out and about. Problems or issues? For what I want and how I use it, I’ve not found anything yet; I might as I get into it more. You do need a little Markdown or HTML knowledge as there are no format buttons in the form of a ribbon in the editor. I like that, though; it's fuss-free, and I get by with Markdown, but for now, I really do like it. Kevin Quirk is the author and runs a great site for Pure Blog as well as a suite of Pure apps called Pure Commons. And the best part...? It's free, but don't be a sap, contribute or make a donation. The guy has passion, and that passion should be rewarded. Give it a go, and move over, will you!
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I consider myself a seasoned self-hoster. I don't write code or do any kind of scripting in any of the languages used; I'm just not that bright! But I don't mind getting my hands a little mucky in the terminal when things go a bit bonkers, which they sometimes do.
I use a self-hosting platform called Yunohost. I've had it in place now for about five years, and I pay no subscriptions to anyone. Well, that’s a bit of a fib; I have recently started paying 10 euros a month to the folks at Yunohost because they do such a good job.
When you install the platform, you get a free domain; mine is casper.nohost.me, which I use to test various apps before releasing them out on their own domain later.
What do I host?
File management & sharing: Nextcloud, with Collabera & Nextcloud Office (a full office suite)
Music: Navidrome (There are some fantastic clients for this server app)
Photos: Piwigo (Phone auto-uploading, galleries, and sharing)
Accounts: Invoice Ninja (Free community edition, server app, and clients)
Websites: WordPress , and now trying out Pure Blog
Email: Comes with a full email stack
That's my digital life in a nutshell. All of the above apps have a mobile app, or are mobile-friendly. You can see all the stuff that I self-host here
Now, I'm not saying that it's all been plain sailing; yes, there is the odd hiccup, sometimes when an app gets updated, but these issues are always fixable. There is a full backup and restore service included witht the platform, and a good and reliable collection of apps to put on your server, oh, and the forum community is excellent.
In summary
I pay absolutely no subscriptions to anyone. (Well, not quite). The 10 euros to Yunohost is voluntary, but for the work the community does, I feel it's the right thing to do. I'm being economical with the truth, again. I do pay yearly for a couple of domain names. There are no direct debits or standing orders being paid to anyone other than Yunohost and my domain registrar. And if I want to disappear...? I just pull the plug...!
Over time, I realised my photo collection is more than just files—it’s a record of my life, travels, and the people I care about. Trusting those memories to a commercial cloud service never sat right with me. I wanted something that gave me control, security, and freedom, without the constant worry of subscriptions or sudden policy changes. That’s why I chose Piwigo. Hosting it myself means my photos stay in my hands, on my own server, with no compromise on quality. I don’t have to accept compression or hidden limits; I can preserve every image exactly as I captured it.
What I love most is how Piwigo grows with me. It’s open-source, so I can customise it endlessly—through themes, plugins, or integrations. It doesn’t matter whether I’m managing a few hundred photos or tens of thousands; Piwigo scales gracefully. The organisational tools, such as albums, tags, and metadata support, make it easy to keep everything structured, even when my collection feels overwhelming.
There’s also a sense of pride in running my own gallery. Instead of being locked into someone else’s ecosystem, I’ve built a space that reflects me. I can share albums with family and friends, knowing I control the privacy settings. I can access my gallery from anywhere via the web or mobile app, without sacrificing ownership.
For me, Piwigo isn’t just a technical solution—it’s a philosophy. It represents independence, respect for my data, and the joy of shaping my own digital space. Choosing Piwigo as my preferred photo storage is about more than convenience; it’s about valuing my memories enough to keep them safe, private, and truly mine.
Derek Jones 
