Flask Blog Platform

A fully functional blog platform built with Flask, providing features such as user authentication, CRUD operations for blog posts, commenting, and admin-only capabilities.

Features

• User Registration and Login: Secure user authentication with hashed passwords.
• Create, Read, Update, Delete (CRUD):
  • Admins can create, edit, and delete blog posts.
  • Users can view posts and leave comments.
• Comment System: Users can comment on blog posts.
• Admin-only Features: Admin accounts have special privileges to manage posts.
• Responsive Design: Templates ready for desktop and mobile use.
• Secure Communication: Includes functionality to send contact messages via email.

Technologies Used

• Backend: Flask, Flask-SQLAlchemy, Flask-WTF, Flask-Login, Flask-CKEditor
• Frontend: Bootstrap (via templates for styling)
• Database: SQLite
• Other Tools: dotenv for environment variable management, CKEditor for rich text editing.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/mhrafin/Blogging-Website.git
   cd Blogging-Website

2. Create a Virtual Environment

   python -m venv .venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Set Environment Variables

   • Create a .env file in the root directory.

   • Add your email credentials:

     [email protected]
     MY_PASSWORD=your_email_password
     

5. Run the Application

   python3 main.py

   The app will be available at http://127.0.0.1:5000.

Usage

Admin Access

By default, the first user registered will have admin privileges. Admins can:

• Create new blog posts.
• Edit or delete existing blog posts.

User Features

• View blog posts.
• Leave comments on posts.

Project Structure

flask-blog-platform/
│
├── templates/          # HTML templates for the app
├── static/             # Static assets like CSS, JS, images
├── main.py             # Main application logic
├── email_sender.py     # Email utility functions
├── requirements.txt    # List of dependencies
└── README.md           # Project documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you find a bug or want to add a new feature:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature/bugfix.
3. Submit a pull request.