A blog can be a surprisingly good place to experiment with how much infrastructure a small website actually needs. My JSON Flat-File Blog stores each post as an individual JSON file.
The browser renders the posts with HTML and JavaScript. A PowerShell builder creates the shared pieces: the post index used for listing and search, the RSS feed, and the sitemap. Adding content becomes a matter of creating a post file, rebuilding those generated outputs, and uploading the result.
That puts the content and the generation steps in fairly visible places. A post has a title, date, slug, and HTML content. The builder has a specific job instead of requiring the web server to assemble every supporting file dynamically.
Media adds another layer. The project includes an administrator-protected upload workflow, image derivatives, and a private manifest. The manifest dashboard can flag unused media, missing alt text, missing files, or images referenced by posts but absent from the manifest.
Those checks matter because a small blog still accumulates housekeeping. Images need readable alternatives, files can go missing, and a deleted post can leave media behind. A database-free design does not mean there is nothing to maintain.
The documented media workflow has real hosting dependencies, including PHP, image processing, and access protection. This is an architectural experiment with its own setup, not a claim that every feature is just static HTML.
What I enjoy is the division of labor: JSON holds the content, PowerShell builds the shared outputs, and the browser presents the result. It is another way to explore publishing with tools I can inspect and understand.