MyBlog

A lightweight, self-hosted blogging platform built with .NET 10 and Blazor Server.

Features

• Markdown-based content: Write posts in Markdown with live preview
• Image management: Upload and manage images stored in the database
• Admin dashboard: Manage posts, images, and settings
• OpenTelemetry: Built-in observability with file-based telemetry export
• Cross-platform: Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS
• CI/CD ready: GitHub Actions workflow for automated testing and deployment

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• .NET 10 SDK or later

Running Locally

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/dotnetcms.git
cd dotnetcms/src

# Restore and run
dotnet restore MyBlog.slnx
cd MyBlog.Web
dotnet run

The application will start at http://localhost:5000 (or the next available port).

Default Credentials

• Username: admin
• Password: ChangeMe123! (or value of MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variable)

Important: The default password is only used when creating the initial admin user. Once the user exists, you must change the password through the website.

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD	Initial admin password (only used on first run)	ChangeMe123!
ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT	Runtime environment	Production

appsettings.json

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Data Source=myblog.db"
  },
  "Authentication": {
    "SessionTimeoutMinutes": 30,
    "DefaultAdminPassword": "ChangeMe123!"
  },
  "Application": {
    "Title": "MyBlog"
  }
}

Database Location

The SQLite database is stored in a platform-specific location:

Platform	Path
Linux	~/.local/share/MyBlog/myblog.db
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/MyBlog/myblog.db
Windows	%LOCALAPPDATA%\MyBlog\myblog.db

Admin Features

Dashboard (/admin)

The admin dashboard provides an overview of your blog with quick access to all management features.

Managing Posts

• Create Post (/admin/posts/new): Write a new blog post in Markdown
• Edit Post (/admin/posts/edit/{id}): Modify existing posts
• Post List (/admin/posts): View and manage all posts

Managing Images

• Upload Images (/admin/images): Upload images to use in posts
• Image Library: Browse and delete uploaded images
• Usage: Reference images in Markdown using /api/images/{id}

Changing Your Password

Navigate to /admin/change-password to change your admin password:

1. Enter your current password
2. Enter your new password (minimum 8 characters)
3. Confirm the new password
4. Click "Change Password"

Note: The MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variable only affects the initial password when the admin user is first created. It does not override existing passwords.

Deployment

GitHub Actions (Automated)

The repository includes a GitHub Actions workflow that:

1. Builds and tests on Windows, Linux, and macOS
2. Deploys to your server via WebDeploy (on main/master/develop branches)

Required Secrets

Set these in your repository settings under Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions:

Secret	Description	Example
WEBSITE_NAME	IIS site name	MyBlog
SERVER_COMPUTER_NAME	Server hostname	myserver.example.com
SERVER_USERNAME	WebDeploy username	deploy-user
SERVER_PASSWORD	WebDeploy password	(your password)

Repository Variables

Variable	Description	Example
MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD	Initial admin password	(strong password)

Note: MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD should be set as a secret, not a variable, if you want it to remain hidden in logs.

Manual Deployment

# Publish for Windows
dotnet publish src/MyBlog.Web/MyBlog.Web.csproj -c Release -o ./publish -r win-x64

# Publish for Linux
dotnet publish src/MyBlog.Web/MyBlog.Web.csproj -c Release -o ./publish -r linux-x64

Copy the contents of ./publish to your server.

IIS Configuration

1. Install the .NET 10 Hosting Bundle
2. Create a new IIS site pointing to your publish folder
3. Set the Application Pool to "No Managed Code"
4. Ensure the Application Pool identity has write access to the database directory

Troubleshooting

ERROR_FILE_IN_USE During Deployment

This occurs when the application is running and DLLs are locked.

Solution: The workflow now includes -enableRule:AppOffline which automatically:

1. Creates app_offline.htm to stop the application
2. Waits for the app to release file locks
3. Deploys the new files
4. Removes app_offline.htm to restart the app

Password Not Changing After Setting MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD

The environment variable only works when no users exist in the database.

To reset with a new password:

1. Stop the application
2. Delete the database file (see Database Location above)
3. Set MYBLOG_ADMIN_PASSWORD to your desired password
4. Start the application

Or, log in with the current password and use /admin/change-password.

Database Locked Errors

SQLite can have locking issues with concurrent access.

Solutions:

• Ensure only one instance of the application is running
• Check that no database tools have the file open
• Verify file permissions on the database directory

Development

Running Tests

cd src
dotnet test MyBlog.slnx

Project Structure

src/
├── MyBlog.Core/           # Domain models and interfaces
├── MyBlog.Infrastructure/ # Data access, services
├── MyBlog.Web/           # Blazor Server application
└── MyBlog.Tests/         # xUnit test project

Adding New Features

1. Define interfaces in MyBlog.Core/Interfaces
2. Implement in MyBlog.Infrastructure/Services
3. Add UI in MyBlog.Web/Components/Pages
4. Write tests in MyBlog.Tests

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/api/images/{id}	GET	Retrieve an image by ID

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request