🚀 WriteABlog v1 — First Major Release | WriteABlog News

We’re excited to announce WriteABlog v1, the first major milestone for the project. This release brings core platform improvements, authentication upgrades, publishing features, and a more polished creator experience.

Since commit b60d1fd534, development has focused on turning WriteABlog into a practical, modern blogging platform ready for real-world use.

Here’s what’s new in v1.

✨ Highlights

🔐 Google OAuth Login

Users can now sign in and sign up using Google, making account creation faster and reducing friction for new writers joining the platform.

Authentication flows and redirect handling have also been improved for smoother login experiences.

📰 Built-in RSS Feed Support

WriteABlog now automatically generates RSS feeds for blogs, making it easy for readers to subscribe and follow updates in feed readers or other platforms.

Posts now also support excerpts, improving previews across feeds and listings.

🖼 Better Image & Metadata Handling

Several improvements make posts look better when shared:

Blog banner images are prioritized in metadata previews
Guidance is now shown for recommended image resolutions
Updated and improved platform icons

This ensures blogs look polished across social platforms and previews.

📱 Improved Admin Dashboard UX

Managing blogs is now smoother on mobile and smaller screens:

The admin sidebar is now mobile-responsive
Dashboard navigation has been refactored into a dedicated component
Cleaner layout improves usability across devices

👤 Enhanced User Profiles

Profiles are now more expressive and connected:

Users can add social and donation links
Author and commenter profiles are linked directly in posts

This helps readers discover creators and support them more easily.

🧹 Under-the-Hood Improvements

v1 also includes structural improvements:

Refined server-side search parameter handling
Improved authentication redirect logic
Project cleanup and documentation updates
Migration to GNU GPL v3 licensing

These changes improve maintainability and future development.

🎯 Why v1 Matters

WriteABlog is now transitioning from early development into a stable base for creators and developers. The platform now provides:

Modern authentication
RSS distribution
Improved mobile management
Better metadata & sharing support
Richer user profiles

All essential pieces for a usable blogging platform.

🔮 What’s Next

Development continues toward:

Themes and customization
Plugin ecosystem
Scheduled posts & drafts
Performance optimizations
Community contributions

❤️ Thank You

Thanks to everyone testing, contributing, and helping shape WriteABlog. The project is just getting started.

b60d1fd534 -> 1b7054334e