In simple English
Writing online usually means juggling complex blogging platforms, expensive email tools, and fragile hosting setups. Markdown Ninja replaces all of that with a single program that runs on your own server. You write your stories in plain text files using simple formatting marks. Then you run one command to publish your website and send your newsletters. It costs you nothing in software fees, though you need a place to host it.
What it is
Markdown Ninja (a content management system, which is software that lets you publish and manage pages on the internet) combines a website builder, a blog engine, and a newsletter sender into one tool. It reads your plain text files and turns them into a clean, fast site without needing a database.
What it is good for
Solo creators, independent writers, and small startup founders who want to publish articles and send newsletters without paying monthly subscription fees to third-party services.
- Combines blog publishing and newsletter sending in one tool.
- Writes posts as plain text files that you control.
- Publishes your entire site with a single command.
- Requires comfort with the command line and server setup.
- Uses the strict AGPL licence (a legal rule that requires you to share your code if you modify this tool and run it for others).
- Needs an email provider set up to send newsletters.
WordPress, Substack, and Mailchimp
Docker (a way to run a program inside its own sealed box, so it cannot break anything else on your server)
- getgrav/grav16k stars
A flat-file content management system that runs blogs and websites without needing a database.
- TryGhost/Ghost56k stars
A popular publishing platform for professional writers and independent newsletters.
- facebook/docusaurus67k stars
A static site generator from Meta that turns Markdown files into a documentation website.
- mkdocs/mkdocs23k stars
Turns a folder of Markdown files into a documentation website, controlled by one settings file.
- squidfunk/mkdocs-material28k stars
Turns a folder of Markdown files into a searchable documentation website, with every formerly sponsor-only feature now included.
docker run -i --rm -e MARKDOWN_NINJA_API_KEY=[YOUR_API_KEY] -v `pwd`:/mdninja ghcr.io/skerkour/markdown-ninja publish