Building a Website with Pico CMS: A Step-by-Step Guide

Start with Pico CMS starter to learn how work with pico php markdown flatfile cms.

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What is Pico CMS?

Pico CMS is an open-source, flat-file CMS written in PHP, which means it does not rely on a database for storing content. Instead, it uses plain text files, making it simple, fast, and secure. Pico leverages Markdown for content formatting and YAML for managing metadata, ensuring ease of use and flexibility.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure your server meets the following requirements:

• PHP version 5.3.6 or greater
• Composer for managing dependencies
• A web server such as Nginx or Apache
• Optional: Let's Encrypt certificate for SSL/TLS encryption.

Installing Pico CMS

Step 1: Set Up Your Server Environment

If you are using Ubuntu, you can follow these steps:

1. Install PHP and necessary packages:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install php php-fpm nginx composer

2. Install the acme.sh client for Let's Encrypt (optional):

   sudo wget -O -  https://get.acme.sh | sh

3. Obtain a Let's Encrypt certificate (if using SSL/TLS):

   sudo ~/.acme.sh/acme.sh --issue --standalone -d yourdomain.com

Step 2: Create the Document Root Directory

1. Create a directory for your Pico CMS installation:

   sudo mkdir -p /var/www/pico

2. Change the ownership of the directory:

   sudo chown -R your_username:your_username /var/www/pico

3. Navigate to the document root directory:

   cd /var/www/pico

Step 3: Download and Install Pico CMS

1. Use Composer to download Pico CMS:

   composer create-project picocms/pico-composer .

2. Change the ownership of the directory to the web server user:

   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/pico

Step 4: Configure Your Web Server

For Nginx, you can create a configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/pico

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    root /var/www/pico;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?_content=$uri&$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        try_files $uri =404;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $request_filename;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Enable the configuration and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/pico /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Access Pico CMS

Open your web browser and navigate to http://yourdomain.com or http://localhost if you are running it locally. You should see the default Pico CMS page.

Creating Content

Using Markdown and YAML

Pico CMS uses Markdown for formatting content and YAML for managing metadata.

1. Navigate to the content directory:

   cd /var/www/pico/content

2. Create a new Markdown file:

   nano my-first-page.md

3. Add content and metadata:

   ---
   Title: My First Page
   Description: This is my first page created with Pico CMS.
   ---
   
   # My First Page
   
   This is the content of my first page.

4. Save and close the file. The new page will be automatically available on your website.

Customizing Your Website

Themes

Pico CMS supports themes using the Twig templating engine.

1. Download a theme from the official Pico CMS themes page or create your own.
2. Upload the theme files to the themes directory in your Pico installation.
3. Select the theme in the config.yml file located in the root directory of your Pico installation:

   theme: your-theme-name

Plugins

Pico CMS has an extensive plugin ecosystem to extend its functionality.

1. Download plugins from the official Pico CMS plugins page.
2. Upload the plugin files to the plugins directory in your Pico installation.
3. Enable the plugins in the config.yml file:

   enabled_plugins:
     - plugin-name

SEO and Performance

Pico CMS is designed with SEO and performance in mind.

• SEO Tools: Pico CMS integrates seamlessly with popular SEO tools like Moz and SEMrush, helping you optimize your content for better search engine rankings.
• Performance: Since Pico CMS does not use a database, it offers faster load times and better performance compared to traditional database-driven CMS platforms.

Support and Resources

Pico CMS has an active community and extensive resources:

• Documentation: Detailed documentation available on the official Pico CMS website.
• GitHub: Source code and issue tracking available on GitHub.
• Community Support: Forums, chat, and other community resources for support and development.

By following these steps, you can easily set up and start using Pico CMS to build and manage your website. Its simplicity, flexibility, and performance make it an excellent choice for individuals, small businesses, and anyone looking for a lightweight yet powerful CMS.

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