RamaSite is available under the MIT license and can be downloaded from GitHub. It's a lightweight content management system designed as a complete, self-contained website. Named after the sealed cylindrical habitat in the classic sci-fi novel Rendezvous with Rama, it stores everything (content, images, settings) in a single site folder. There is no external database server, no command-line setup, and no external services required beyond ordinary shared hosting. All content lives in one SQLite database file; images and files sit in an uploads folder.
Installation is as simple as uploading a release zip to any web host that supports PHP and SQLite (which is pretty much all of them), opening the site, and completing a setup screen. The system then handles backups, database migrations after upgrades, sitemaps, redirects, and theming from inside the admin interface.
Core Features
RamaSite supports pages, blogs, and posts written in Markdown. A single site can display multiple blogs. The site navigation menu is built from pages via menu order, parent relationships, and optional shorter labels.
Content uses shortcodes to embed images from a library (or external URLs), file links, YouTube videos, forms, cards, modules, and sliders without writing HTML. Images and files can be replaced in their libraries so every place that uses them updates automatically. Cards and modules provide reusable boxes and full-width sections. Image sliders rotate images with configurable timing, animations, display text, and navigation buttons. Forms are built with drag-and-drop fields (text, email, dropdowns, checkboxes, and more) and store submissions with optional email notifications. Pre-built Contact and Newsletter forms are included.
Theming is handled entirely through an admin Theme screen. Users set a logo, browser tab icon, four main colors (with most other colors derived automatically), Google Fonts for body and headings, header layout options (including a sticky header and optional top bar), footer styles, card and panel colors, text width, corner roundness, and custom CSS if needed. No template files require editing. Additional capabilities include:
- Automatic redirects when pages move
- A generated sitemap and robots.txt
- RSS feeds for each blog
- Analytics integration with Google Analytics, Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, Search Console, Bing integration, or custom code
- One-click full-site backups
- Automatic database updates after upgrades.
- Landing pages, full-width layouts, scheduled publishing, and social preview images are also supported.
Ease of Use
RamaSite is built for non-technical users on ordinary shared hosting. Requirements are PHP 8.4.1 or newer (with common extensions including pdo_sqlite) and SQLite 3.26 or newer—standard on most hosts. After uploading the release zip (not the source-code archive), the site redirects to HTTPS if a certificate is present and presents a setup screen. A setup-key.txt file in the folder proves ownership; once entered along with site name and the first admin credentials, the key is deleted and the admin is ready at /admin.
The dashboard shows content counts, quick actions (new page, new post, upload images), recent form submissions, and recently edited items. Getting-started guidance recommends setting the theme first (logo, colors, fonts), configuring email, replacing the placeholder home page, editing the footer module, and placing forms. Markdown editing includes toolbar buttons; shortcodes are inserted via the interface or typed. Previews work for drafts and scheduled content. Upgrades involve downloading a backup, uploading the new zip over the existing files (user content is never overwritten), and visiting the site so the database migrates itself. The process is deliberately free of terminal commands or configuration-file editing for ordinary users.
Security
Security measures are practical and clearly documented. Setup requires possession of the setup-key.txt file, preventing a stranger who discovers a newly uploaded site from claiming it. Login is rate-limited to five attempts per minute; password-reset requests are limited to two per minute. On HTTPS sites, HTTP traffic is redirected and the login cookie is sent only over HTTPS. Admin sessions expire after two hours of inactivity (unless “Remember me” is used). Changing a password logs out other sessions. Browsers are instructed not to frame the site. Only image files can be uploaded, and nothing in the uploads folder can execute as code. The settings file, database, and application code are not reachable from a browser.
Every admin account can optionally enable two-step login via an authenticator app (with recovery codes) or emailed codes. Forgotten-password links expire after 60 minutes. Forms include three spam checks (honeypot field, minimum time, and JavaScript presence) plus a rate limit of five submissions per minute. Built-in protections and the self-contained design reduce the attack surface compared with multi-service CMS stacks. Backups contain sensitive data and should be stored privately.
Conclusion
RamaSite occupies a useful niche: a capable, modern CMS that installs and runs on the simplest shared hosting without databases, containers, or ongoing server administration. Its feature set covers the needs of most brochure, blog, and small-business sites, while the admin interface and documentation keep the learning curve modest. It offers a practical alternative for anyone who wants a self-contained site that stays under their control.