🚀 Overview

Flow is a self-hosted blogging CMS for creators, developers, and small publishers who want total control over their content, branding, and data.
It combines a distraction-free editor, multilingual routing (i18n/RTL), built-in SEO, and flexible themes so you can focus on writing while keeping performance and accessibility in check.

Experience-driven design: Flow reflects real solo-blog workflows — drafts, scheduled publishing, content revisions, image optimization, and newsletter exports —
letting you ship consistently without wrestling with heavy enterprise features.

✨ Key Features

• Multilingual Blogging: per-locale slugs, translations, RTL support, and localized dates.
• Markdown & WYSIWYG: write in Markdown or a rich text editor; inline images, code blocks, embeds.
• Pages & Navigation: static pages, custom menus, footer links, and categories/tags.
• Media Library: image manager with alt text, focal point/crops, lazy loading, and WebP support (where enabled).
• SEO Controls: custom titles/descriptions, open graph & Twitter cards, canonical URLs, XML sitemap hooks.
• Theming: Blade-based themes, dark mode toggle, syntax highlighting, and per-post templates.
• Drafts & Scheduling: schedule posts, content revisions/history, preview links.
• Comments (Optional): native or third-party providers (reCAPTCHA/anti-spam ready).
• Newsletter & RSS: RSS/Atom feeds, email export/CSV, webhook to ESPs (Mailgun/Mailchimp API ready).
• Analytics: basic readership stats; plug in GA/Matomo/Umami easily.
• Roles & Security: Admin/Author roles, 2FA-ready, activity logs, and rate limiting.
• Performance: cache/Redis support, responsive images, minimal JS, and HTTP/2 best practices.

⚙️ Technical Stack

• Framework: Laravel (9/10+ typical compatibility)
• Language: PHP 8.1+ recommended
• Database: MySQL 5.7+/8.0 or MariaDB 10.3+
• Frontend: Blade, Tailwind/Bootstrap, Alpine.js/Vanilla JS; Prism/Highlight.js for code blocks
• Cache/Queue: file/Redis cache; queue for images/emails (Supervisor/Horizon ready)
• Server: Nginx/Apache with HTTPS; PHP extensions: pdo_mysql, mbstring, openssl, curl, intl, fileinfo, zip, gd
• Build Tools: Composer, Node.js (Vite) & NPM/Yarn

🧩 Installation Guide

1. Upload: deploy the project to your server (Linux recommended).
2. Configure: create DB; set .env for DB, APP_URL, mail, cache/queue.
3. Dependencies: composer install --no-dev & php artisan key:generate.
4. Migrate/Seed: php artisan migrate --force (seed demo content if provided).
5. Assets: npm install & npm run build.
6. Storage: php artisan storage:link; ensure storage/ & bootstrap/cache writable.
7. Optimize: php artisan optimize:clear; start queue workers for email/thumbnails if used.
8. Localization: enable locales and set default language; generate sitemap if needed.

Tip: Test scheduled posts, RSS, and social cards on a staging domain before going live.

📦 Deliverables

• Flow Laravel source code (GPL build)
• Admin panel + authoring UI + public theme
• Multilingual routing & translation files
• RSS/Atom feeds, sitemap hooks, and example theme
• Docs, sample configs, GPL license text & changelog

📱 Supported Platforms

• Server OS: Linux (Ubuntu/Alma/Rocky) recommended; Windows/macOS for development
• Browsers: Latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Devices: Responsive front-end for mobile, tablet, and desktop

🧠 Notes

• License: Distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) for lawful self-hosting, learning, and testing.
• Customization Tips: create a child theme via Blade; extend models/services via events; avoid core edits for upgrade-safe changes.
• SEO Assurance: unique titles/descriptions, structured data (JSON-LD), image alt text, canonical & hreflang links for multilingual SEO.
• Performance: enable Redis cache, image compression, responsive images, and defer non-critical JS.
• Security: enforce HTTPS, strong passwords/2FA, rate limiting, and regular dependency updates.

👨‍💻 Original Developer Credit

Originally authored by the vendor listed on
CodeCanyon.
Please support the developer by purchasing a commercial license when required.

🔒 Disclaimer

This is a GPL redistribution intended for learning, testing, and lawful self-hosting. We are not the original developers and provide no implied warranties.
All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. For commercial production, review licensing obligations and obtain a valid license from the original author when required.