DRAWN 2026-09-23 · FIELD DIGEST COMPANION · EVERY FACT CARRIES A LEDGER ID
an engineering drawing of the tool layer: four load-bearing columns holding up one static site.
"A single Bash script to create blogs",[2] zero dependencies, everything in one ~1k-line script.[2] Output is static: "you only need shell access to a machine with a public web folder."[2]
"Doesn't track users with unique identifiers and doesn't need a GDPR notice";[1] the script "adds just ~3.5KB of extra data to your site".[1] Measured in 2026: count.js at 3.24 KB gzipped, against GA4's 145 KB gzipped.[8]
The static-site gap: "one usually wants a lightweight commenting server with as little dependencies as possible" because "Disqus loads absurd amount of tracking services".[4] Isso is driven by the line "Because comments are not Big Data" — a single JS file, 65 kB (20 kB gzipped).[5] giscus: "No database needed. All data is stored in GitHub Discussions" — "No tracking, no ads, always free."[7]
Three philosophies: ringfairy "uses HTML redirects" and "can be hosted on Neocities, GitHub Pages, etc";[3] OpenRing "centralizes" the navigation logic — "No JavaScript required. No logic to maintain. Deploy once, invite members";[6] openring-rs generates a webring "from Atom/RSS feeds" as a Rust-port of Drew DeVault's openring.[9]
Maintenance as stability, not velocity: "I am not actively maintaining bashblog as of 2026-07-09. It still works (that was the point all along!)."[2] The webring counter-read: "updating the webring will require you to regenerate the whole thing."[3]
GoatCounter is a donation-supported hosted service or self-hosted app;[1] self-hosted binaries are "statically compiled and contain everything you need" — "the only dependency is somewhere to store a SQLite database file or a PostgreSQL connection."[10] Reviewer's verdict: "light, but it is not the lightest."[8]
Borrowing someone else's backbone: giscus keeps every comment in GitHub Discussions,[7] and ringfairy lets static hosts like Neocities and GitHub Pages carry the ring.[3] The license that floats both: EUPL-1.2 lets you self-host, modify, and even fork commercially.[8]
The small web's software is small the same way its pages are: deliberately, and at human scale. Four columns carry one site — a script, a binary, a comment server, a ring — and each column is rated by the same values: static-first, one small dependency, no cookies by default, and maintenance that outlives the maintainer. The load is the point: small enough that one person can read the whole tool that runs their site.
[1] GoatCounter: open source web analytics"doesn't track users with unique identifiers and doesn't need a GDPR notice""adds just ~3.5KB of extra data to your site""free donation-supported hosted service or self-hosted app"
[2] bashblog: a single Bash script to create blogs"A single Bash script to create blogs.""Zero dependencies. It runs just on base utils""Everything stored in a single ~1k lines bash script, how cool is that?! ;)""I am not actively maintaining bashblog as of 2026-07-09. It still works (that was the point all along!)""All content is static. You only need shell access to a machine with a public web folder."
[3] ringfairy: static webring generator in Rust"Unlike most webrings which rely on some kind of server-side code to redirect visitors, this uses HTML redirects""it can be hosted on Neocities, GitHub Pages, etc""This is a tool for anyone who has some kind of personal website or blog and wishes to connect with others.""updating the webring will require you to regenerate the whole thing"
[4] Open-source self-hosted comments for a static website"Disqus loads absurd amount of tracking services, which exposes your visitors' personal data and significantly increases loading time.""For a static website, one usually wants a lightweight commenting server with as little dependencies as possible.""side-by-side comparison of open-source, self-hosted commenting systems for static sites"
[5] Isso: a commenting server similar to Disqus"a commenting server similar to Disqus""Because comments are not Big Data.""Embed a single JS file, 65kB (20kB gzipped) and you are done.""Comments written in Markdown"
[6] OpenRing: deploy and manage your own webring"Traditional webrings require every member site to implement navigation logic. OpenRing centralizes this""No JavaScript required. No logic to maintain. Deploy once, invite members.""An open-source webring API built with Cloudflare Workers."
[7] giscus: comments powered by GitHub Discussions"A comments system powered by GitHub Discussions.""No database needed. All data is stored in GitHub Discussions.""No tracking, no ads, always free."
[8] GoatCounter review 2026 (measured)"The source code is on GitHub under the European Union Public License (EUPL-1.2), which means you can self-host it for free, modify it, and even ship a commercial fork as long as you keep the same license.""count.js gzipped: 3.24 KB (3,318 bytes)""So GoatCounter is light, but it is not the lightest""Google Analytics 4 (gtag.js): 145 KB gzipped, 418 KB raw"
[9] openring-rs: a webring for static site generators"A tool for generating a webring from Atom/RSS feeds.""so you can populate a template with articles from those feeds and embed them in your own blog""This is a Rust-port of Drew DeVault's openring"
[10] GoatCounter GitHub: self-hosted analytics"These are statically compiled and contain everything you need.""The only dependency is somewhere to store a SQLite database file or a PostgreSQL connection.""The source code is completely Open Source/Free Software, and it can be self-hosted without restrictions."
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