Paper & Pixels – PHP Blog Application

Paper & Pixels is a modern, responsive blogging platform built with PHP 8 and MySQL. It powers a fully fledged publishing workflow with user authentication, role-based permissions, Markdown editing, likes, comments, and search-friendly tagging — Built from scratch as part of the IN2120 Web Application Development assignment using pure PHP and Tailwind CSS.

Live Demo

• Website: https://paperandpixels.lovestoblog.com

Overview

Paper & Pixels is a full-stack blog platform where users can:

• Secure registration, login, logout, and session handling
• Rich post authoring with Markdown, cover images, and live previews
• Like/unlike interactions and threaded comment discussions
• Search and tag filters for effortless content discovery
• Responsive, accessibility-aware UI that adapts to any device
• Admin-specific controls for moderating posts across the platform

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	HTML5, Tailwind CSS, JavaScript
Backend	PHP 8+ (procedural with sessions)
Database	MySQL (MariaDB via InfinityFree)
Hosting	InfinityFree free hosting service
Domain	.lovestoblog.com subdomain
Version Control	Git + GitHub
Security	HTTPS (Auto-SSL), .env configuration, prepared statements

Core Features

Authentication and Authorization

• Register/login/logout using password_hash() and password_verify()
• Secure sessions and cookie handling
• Role-based access (Admin, User, Guest)

Blog CRUD Operations

• Create, read, update, delete posts
• Upload and display cover images stored in /uploads
• Markdown formatting for rich text posts

Likes and Comments

• Like or unlike posts via a dedicated likes table
• Display dynamic like counts
• Comment system with user attribution and timestamps

Search and Tags

• Search by post title or tags
• Optional tag filters for exploring related content

User Roles

Role	Permissions
Guest	View only
User	Create, edit, delete own posts
Admin	Manage all posts and users

Responsive UI

• Tailwind CSS utility-first design
• Balanced contrast and typography for readability
• Mobile-friendly navigation with dynamic login/register state

Project Structure

php_blog/
├── index.php
├── config.php
├── phpblogdb.sql
├── README.md
├── admin/
├── api/
│   └── toggle_like.php
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── style.css
│   ├── images/
│   │   └── favicon.svg
│   └── js/
│       └── app.js
├── auth/
│   ├── login.php
│   ├── logout.php
│   └── register.php
├── includes/
│   ├── auth_check.php
│   ├── footer.php
│   ├── header.php
│   └── navbar.php
├── posts/
│   ├── create.php
│   ├── delete.php
│   ├── edit.php
│   └── view.php
└── uploads/

Security and Configuration

Database credentials stored in .env:

DB_HOST=sql307.epizy.com
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=epiz_12345678_phpblog
DB_USERNAME=epiz_12345678
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
DB_CHARSET=utf8mb4

Additional safeguards:

• .htaccess rules prevent .env exposure and enforce HTTPS
• Prepared statements for all database operations
• Error details logged server-side only
• SSL certificate automatically provisioned by InfinityFree

Database Schema

Tables:

• users (id, username, password, role)
• posts (id, user_id, title, content, tags, cover_image, created_at)
• likes (id, post_id, user_id, created_at)
• comments (id, post_id, user_id, content, created_at)

Relationships:

• One-to-many: users → posts
• One-to-many: posts → comments
• Many-to-many: users ↔ posts through likes

Testing Checklist

Area	Test
Auth	Register/login/logout with correct and invalid credentials
Roles	Admin manages any post; users manage only their own
CRUD	Create, edit, delete posts with cover image uploads
Likes	Like/unlike updates and persists without refresh
Comments	Add and display comments under posts
Search	Search by title and tag values
UI	Responsive layout on mobile and desktop devices
HTTPS	Automatic redirect from HTTP to HTTPS
Database	Tables populated without orphaned records

Deployment Details

• Hosting: InfinityFree (free PHP hosting)
• Domain: paperandpixels.lovestoblog.com
• Database: Imported via phpMyAdmin
• .env: Uploaded with production credentials
• SSL: Automatically enabled through InfinityFree
• HTTPS: Enforced via .htaccess redirect

Developer

• Adithya Dilum
• University of Moratuwa
• BSc (Hons) in Information Technology & Management
• Level 02, Semester 01
• IN2120 – WEB PROGRAMMING

License and Usage

Project created for educational purposes as part of coursework. You may explore, learn from, and extend the code. Please credit Adithya Dilum when reusing the project or its design.

Acknowledgements

• Tailwind CSS for rapid interface development
• InfinityFree for free PHP hosting
• Official PHP and MySQL documentation
• GitHub Student Developer Pack

Final Deployment

• Production: https://paperandpixels.lovestoblog.com Secure, responsive, and feature-complete — ready for storytelling.