What is this?
Halo is a powerful, easy-to-use open-source website building tool: from personal blogs and knowledge bases to corporate sites and online stores, it aims to cover your site-building needs in one place.
Halo is a powerful, easy-to-use open-source website building tool: from personal blogs and knowledge bases to corporate sites and online stores, it aims to cover your site-building needs in one place.Is this a hosted website builder, or something I run myself?You run it yourself — Halo is a self-hosted web application: you deploy it on your own server (Docker is the standard route) and it serves your site from there.
You run it yourself — Halo is a self-hosted web application: you deploy it on your own server (Docker is the standard route) and it serves your site from there.How do I get it running?If your machine has Docker, one command from the README starts a ready trial environment; for real deployments and other installation options, the README points you to its documentation.
If your machine has Docker, one command from the README starts a ready trial environment; for real deployments and other installation options, the README points you to its documentation.Do I need to install Java or any other dependencies first?No — although the codebase is written in Java, the quick start only asks for a Docker environment; you never compile anything or set up a runtime yourself.
No — although the codebase is written in Java, the quick start only asks for a Docker environment; you never compile anything or set up a runtime yourself.Is that quick Docker command enough for a real site?No — the README says that method is only for trying Halo out. For production it recommends deploying with the open-source 1Panel server panel, which also handles reverse proxy, SSL certificates and upgrade/backup tasks.
No — the README says that method is only for trying Halo out. For production it recommends deploying with the open-source 1Panel server panel, which also handles reverse proxy, SSL certificates and upgrade/backup tasks.Can I try it online before installing anything?Yes — the README links to an online demo environment, so you can click through a live Halo site in your browser before deploying anything.
Yes — the README links to an online demo environment, so you can click through a live Halo site in your browser before deploying anything.Is Halo free, or are there paid plans?It is free and open source under GPL-3.0; the only costs you take on are your own server and domain.
It is free and open source under GPL-3.0; the only costs you take on are your own server and domain.I don't read Chinese — is that a problem?The software itself works regardless of your language, but the materials are Chinese: the README, its documentation links and the recommended 1Panel ops panel all come from the Chinese ecosystem, so expect mostly Chinese-language guides and community support.
The software itself works regardless of your language, but the materials are Chinese: the README, its documentation links and the recommended 1Panel ops panel all come from the Chinese ecosystem, so expect mostly Chinese-language guides and community support.Which topics is it in?website-builder, blog-engine, content-management-system, blog, cms, ecommerce, deployment, app, java, gplv3, web-app, free
website-builder, blog-engine, content-management-system, blog, cms, ecommerce, deployment, app, java, gplv3, web-app, free