# About FolderWeb

FolderWeb is a minimalist PHP framework designed for simplicity, longevity, and maintainability. It's built on a simple philosophy: **just enough, nothing more**.

## Philosophy

Modern web development has become unnecessarily complex. Build tools, package managers, JavaScript frameworks that change every few months—it's exhausting and unsustainable.

FolderWeb is different. It's built to:

- **Work for decades** without requiring constant updates
- **Be understandable** by reading a few hundred lines of code
- **Stay maintainable** without specialized knowledge
- **Load fast** with no JavaScript overhead
- **Just work** without configuration or setup

## Design Principles

### Minimalism
Use only what is strictly necessary. No frameworks, no build tools, no package managers for frontend code. Every line of code must justify its existence.

### File-Based Everything
Your folder structure is your URL structure. Drop a file in a folder and it's instantly accessible. No routes to configure, no databases to set up.

### Override, Never Modify
Custom templates and styles go in `/custom/` and automatically override defaults. The core files in `/app/default/` remain untouched and updateable.

### Modern Standards
Use modern PHP 8.3+ features and modern CSS capabilities. Avoid JavaScript entirely—it's not needed for content-focused sites.

## Technology Stack

### Backend
- **PHP 8.3+** - Modern PHP with type hints, arrow functions, match expressions
- **Apache** - With mod_rewrite for clean URLs
- **Parsedown** - Simple, reliable Markdown parser

### Frontend
- **HTML5** - Semantic markup following best practices
- **CSS3** - Modern features like Grid, clamp(), OKLCH colors, CSS nesting
- **No JavaScript** - By design, for faster loads and simpler maintenance

## What It's Not

FolderWeb is **not**:

- A CMS with an admin panel
- A single-page application framework
- A solution for complex web applications
- Trying to scale to millions of users
- Following current trends and fads

## What It Is

FolderWeb **is**:

- A simple way to publish content
- A foundation that will work for decades
- A teaching tool for web fundamentals
- A protest against unnecessary complexity
- Perfect for documentation, blogs, portfolios, small business sites

## Use Cases

FolderWeb excels at:

- **Documentation sites** - Clear structure, easy to navigate
- **Personal blogs** - Simple publishing workflow
- **Portfolio sites** - Showcase your work without bloat
- **Small business sites** - Professional presence without complexity
- **Project pages** - Quick site for your open source project

## Who Created This?

FolderWeb emerged from frustration with modern web development complexity. It's built for developers who appreciate simplicity and maintainability over features and frameworks.

## License

FolderWeb is open source. Check the repository for license details.

## Get Started

Ready to build something simple and lasting?

1. Create a `/content` folder
2. Add your first `.md` file
3. That's it—you're publishing

No build step. No npm install. No configuration files. Just content.