GitHub - heydev-de/pwnc: PWNC is an integrated web development platform for building and running scalable websites and web applications – through a minimalist, intuitive web UI. If you need fast, vanilla-style code, this is it.

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PWNC

All-in-One Web OS & IDE (yes, it also has a CMS)

PWNC is a lightweight, zero-dependency PHP/MySQL integrated web development platform with a clean, minimalist interface, providing a comprehensive toolkit for developers and teams to craft and manage websites and web apps efficiently.

If you're into native web standards coding and want 100/100 PageSpeed, this is for you.

Desktop Templates Content

Easy install: Just upload it to your webspace, call /pwnc, enter admin / admin and follow the instructions.

Legal Note

PWNC is source-available, not open source. While you are free to use and modify the software for your projects (private and commercial) and use the "fork" function to make public copies on GitHub, public forks of modified versions are prohibited under the PWNC Web Platform License.

Status

  • Production-Ready
  • Actively Maintained
  • Integrated Updates

Features

Core Platform & Editing

  • Context-Sensitive WYSIWYG Editor with multiple editing views: full, layout, content, output
  • Nested Template & Component System with ready-to-use and fully extensible components
  • Asset & Data Management for media, downloads, files, and database tables
  • Form Editor for creating and managing web forms

Applications & Tools

  • Frontend: Blog, Forum, Chat, Comment System, RSS Reader, User Registration/Profile Management, Search Engine, ~150 ready-to-use/customizable components
  • Backend: Editorial System, Solo Webpage Manager, Navigation Manager, Database & File Management, Web Crawler, Logging, Language Configuration, User & Permissions Management, Setup & Updates
  • Web Desktop: Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Email Client, Instant Messaging, Links

Performance, Security & Usability

  • SEO & Performance: XML sitemaps, canonical/alternate links, RSS feeds, responsive image optimization (WebP/JPEG), selective caching, crisp JavaScript without third-party frameworks
  • Security & Stability: Automatic integrity checks, secure authentication, easy database backup/restore, detailed error reporting, regular one-click updates and full-site ZIP backups, bad bot detection/blocking
  • Usability: Minimalist, consistent interface optimized for desktop and touchscreen
  • Analytics: Automatic tracking of page views and user actions, detailed queries, effective bot filtering, privacy-compliant anonymization
  • Additional: Multilingual support, background task daemon, multisite-ready

Technical Requirements

  • PHP ≥ 7.4 (PHP 8.x fully supported)
  • MySQL ≥ 5.6 or MariaDB ≥ 10.0
  • Modern browser (desktop or tablet recommended)
  • Storage: ≥ 500 MB (2 GB+ recommended for media-heavy sites)

Installation

  1. Download PWNC as a ZIP file from the official source and extract it on your computer.
  2. Upload the contents of the extracted pwnc-main folder into an empty directory on your web server (a clear name like /domain.tld is recommended). This will become your website's root folder.
  3. Adjust .htaccess and robots.txt to match your server environment and website policy.
  4. Point your domain's document root to the installation folder. Refer to your hosting provider if needed.
  5. Open domain.tld/pwnc in your browser and follow the setup instructions. Default login username: admin, password: admin.

Updates

After installation, perform updates via the built-in system (Backend → Setup) to avoid overwriting data. By default, a full backup of your installation and database is created in /#update/backup, while keeping the previous backup.

Quick Start

  1. Backend login: domain.tld/pwnc
  2. Update page information: Go to Placeholders → Category: Info.
  3. Replace branding assets: Go to Backend → Images and replace Logo, Logo alternative, Icon, and Open graph banner by selecting Replace image. Do not delete/reupload.
  4. Configure languages: Go to Backend → Languages.
  5. Set canonical URL (multi-domain sites): Go to Backend → Navigation, select the topmost entry, and set the Canonical base URL to your preferred main domain.
  6. Customer account: A default user named Customer (username: default) exists under Backend → Administration. Unlock it and set a new password before use.
  7. Publish site: Unlock the Guest (anonymous) account under Backend → Administration to make the site publicly accessible.

Resources

Support

License

PWNC is provided as proprietary source-available software. It is free to use for both private and commercial projects, subject to the following conditions:

  • Commercial Use: Allowed for custom solutions for individual end clients and specific PWNC extensions.
  • Restrictions: Redistribution of the code (original or modified) and charging fees for the software itself is strictly prohibited.
  • Attribution: Original copyright notices and visible credit markings in the user interface must be maintained.

Full terms can be found in the LICENSE.md. Governing law is German law (Jurisdiction: Düsseldorf).

PWNC provides a fast, integrated environment for building scalable websites and web apps with minimal footprint and powerful features out of the box.

Legal Notice: pwnc.it/legal-info.php