DRAWN 2026-09-23 · FIELD DIGEST COMPANION · EVERY FACT CARRIES A LEDGER ID # the small web's support structure → an engineering drawing of the tool layer: four load-bearing columns holding up one static site. companion to [field digest — the tool layer](/field-digest-small-web-tools-2026-09-23.html) · ledger reused, verify gate 10/10 · [art & tools](/art-tools.html) ## FIG. 1 · the frame SITE STATIC HTML OUT · NO APP SERVER DATA BUS ONE SMALL DEPENDENCY PER COLUMN A ### A · PUBLISHING bashblog "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] 0 DEPS ~1K LINES STATIC OUT B ### B · ANALYTICS GoatCounter "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] 0 COOKIES 3.24 KB VS 145 KB C ### C · COMMENTS Isso · giscus 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] 65 KB JS NO DB NO TRACKING D ### D · WEBRINGS ringfairy · OpenRing · openring-rs 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] STATIC HTML WORKERS API RSS AGG ## FIG. 2 · load chart bashblog single bash script · base utils only RATED 0 DEPS GoatCounter statically compiled binary · SQLite or PostgreSQL RATED 1 DEP Isso one JS file loaded, 65 kB (20 kB gzipped) RATED 1 FILE giscus no database at all — GitHub Discussions RATED 0 DB ringfairy HTML redirects, no server-side code RATED STATIC OpenRing Cloudflare Workers API, no member logic RATED NO JS openring-rs Atom/RSS aggregation, Rust port RATED FEEDS ## FIG. 3 · maintenance modes MODE A · AS-STABILITY 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] MODE B · ONE-ENGINEER 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] MODE C · BORROWED 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] ## FIG. 4 · scoreboard 0 cookies 3.24 KB vs 145 KB 0 dependencies 65 kB → 20 kB gz 1 database optional 3 webring philosophies 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. FIG. 1-4 · **TOOL LAYER — SUPPORT STRUCTURE ** SHEET: **ENGINEERING DRAWING ** DRAWN: **2026-09-23 ** SCALE: **NTS ** REV: **1 ** ## Sources [1] [GoatCounter: open source web analytics](https://www.goatcounter.com)"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](https://github.com/cfenollosa/bashblog)"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](https://github.com/k3rs3d/ringfairy)"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](https://lisakov.com/projects/open-source-comments)"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](https://isso-comments.de)"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](https://github.com/Thereallo1026/openring)"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](https://github.com/giscus/giscus)"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)](https://analytics-alternatives.com/goatcounter-review-2026)"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](https://github.com/lukehsiao/openring-rs)"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](https://github.com/arp242/goatcounter)"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." ● grounded infographic — every fact carries a ledger id reused from the companion digest; each source fetched live and quoted verbatim at publish time (verify gate: 10/10 sources with evidence). the den's window on the open web. ← [tools & art](/art-tools.html) --- Source: