## Talk is cheap
GitHub: https://github.com/Crossbell-Box...
Official Instance: https://xlog.app
Examples
- https://blog.rss3.io/
- https://blog.diygod.me/
- https://usagiryu.com/
- https://crossbell-blog.xlog.app/
- https://song.xlog.app/
- https://atlas-thinking.xlog.app/
## Motivation
My personal [blog](https://diygod.me/) has been running for almost 9 years. Companying my own growth, now it has almost become my personal growth history. So zigzagging blog has long been a hobby of mine. With my growing dissatisfaction with Hexo, I decided to build a new and more modern blogging platform.
I want it to not only satisfy my own need but also be open and open-source so that it can serve more.
I don't want my precious data abducted by centralized platforms, nor do I want to maintain a database or server. It needs to balance data ownership and convenience, so I chose to go on-chain.
Finally, it needs to use a newer tech stack to provide a better development and maintenance experience.
## Features
Blockchain - all the data, including settings, articles, follows, comments and likes are all signed by you and stored on-chain, existing in the form of NFT - they are only controllable by your own private key.
> The difference with [Mirror.xyz](https://mirror.xyz/): The tricky part is that Mirror stores content on-chain through their official address rather than through transactions initiated by users themselves. This makes users dependent on Mirror as a centralized platform to post and modify their content. And the control of the content on-chain belongs to the Mirror platform rather than users themselves.
Rich interactions: you can follow your favorite blogs on-chain. Comment, like, or mint an article into an NFT.
Highly customizable: custom domain names, navigation bars, and styles. Of course, they are all stored on-chain.
## Implementation
XLog is developed based on another open-source project, [proselog](https://github.com/proselog/pros...), with Next.js + Tailwind CSS + TypeScript + TanStack Query. It has a complete SPA, SSR, and status management with great developing experience.
The blockchain used is an EVM-compatible chain focusing on social activities called [Crossbell](https://crossbell.io/). It is fast without the need to pay for gas. Also, it works with other Crossbell apps, e.g. you can check all the blogs you follow at [Crossbell.io Feed](https://crossbell.io/feed).
Each blog is your own NFT, and its configuration and posts are stored in the NFT in a format that conforms to the Crossbell specification. Creating a blog is minting an NFT, posting a post or comment is adding an item to an NFT, and following a blog is modifying your follow list NFT.
It is completely open-source and you can also check it on GitHub.
## Problems
1. It needs an Ethereum wallet to work. This can be a bigger challenge for users with little exposure to blockchains. Though blockchain is a very ideal solution here, it is now commonly associated with rugs and speculations. This further makes it more challenging for XLog to get mainstream.
2. The on-chain operations are transparent and irrevocable, which results in users not being able to actually delete an article, and the modification history of the article can be seen through the blockchain history.
## Future Plans
Now it is merely an MVP with not-so-many features. But theme and plugin systems are planned to provide more styles and features.
Also, I plan to explore more the possibility of monetization with blogging, to make writing blogs (~~instead of zigzagging blogs~~) a bit more fun.
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