Introduction

LiteFrame CMS is a single-file PHP content management system with built-in AI capabilities. It runs on any standard LAMP/LEMP stack without frameworks, Composer, or Node. The entire admin is one file. The entire front-end renderer is one file. Install takes 30 seconds.

Requirements

LiteFrame has minimal requirements:

• ✓ PHP 8.0 or higher
• ✓ MySQL 5.7 or higher
• ✓ Apache or Nginx

That's it. No Composer packages. No Node modules. No build steps.

Installation

Installation takes about 30 seconds:

1. Upload Files

Upload the LiteFrame files to your web server. The file structure is:

// File structure
├── config.php       // Framework core
├── index.php        // Front-end renderer
├── api.php          // API endpoints
├── admin/
│   └── index.php    // Complete admin panel
├── data/
│   └── config.json  // Database credentials (created by installer)
└── uploads/         // Media uploads

2. Run the Installer

Navigate to your site's URL. The installer will run automatically if no database is configured.

3. Enter Database Credentials

Enter your MySQL database credentials. The installer will create all required tables automatically.

Your First Page

Once installed, log in to the admin panel at /admin and create your first page:

1. 1. Click "New Page" in the sidebar
2. 2. Enter a title and slug
3. 3. Add your HTML content in the Content tab
4. 4. Add page-specific CSS in the CSS tab (optional)
5. 5. Set status to "Published" and save

Blog Feed Shortcode

Embed a blog listing anywhere with the blog-feed shortcode:

// Basic usage
[blog-feed]

// With options
[blog-feed limit="6" layout="grid" columns="3"]

// Available options:
limit    // Number of posts to show (default: 10)
layout   // "grid" or "list" (default: grid)
columns  // 2-6 for grid layout (default: 3)

Page List Shortcode

List pages by content type:

// List all pages of a specific type
[page-list type="services"]

// Example: Show all "services" pages
[page-list type="services"]

// Example: Show all "team" pages
[page-list type="team"]

BuildLab AI Setup

To enable AI features, you need an Anthropic API key (for Lifetime license) or use the included API (for Business/Designer plans).

Lifetime License (Self-Hosted)

// Add your API key in Settings → Integrations

Anthropic API Key: sk-ant-api03-...

// For AI images, add one of these:
OpenAI API Key:    sk-...  // For DALL-E 3
Stability API Key: sk-...  // For Stability AI

Business/Designer Plans (Managed)

AI is pre-configured on managed plans. Just start using it—no setup required.

AI Content Generation

Open BuildLab from the sidebar and describe what you want to create:

// Example prompts

"Create a hero section for a SaaS landing page 
with a headline about productivity"

"Write an About Us page for a digital agency 
based in Austin, Texas"

"Generate a pricing table with 3 tiers: 
Starter, Pro, and Enterprise"

AI SEO Bulk Generator

Generate multiple SEO-optimized pages at once:

1. 1. Open BuildLab → SEO Bulk Generator
2. 2. Enter a topic (e.g., "plumbing services")
3. 3. Add variations (e.g., "emergency plumbing", "drain cleaning", "water heater repair")
4. 4. Add style notes (e.g., "professional tone, mention Austin TX location")
5. 5. Click Generate—AI creates unique pages with titles, slugs, meta, and 500+ word content
6. 6. Review in the table, edit if needed, then batch publish

Site Import Overview

Import any static HTML site by uploading a ZIP file. LiteFrame reverse-engineers it into a fully functional CMS.

What Gets Imported

• ✓ HTML pages → CMS pages with clean slugs
• ✓ Images → Media library with path rewriting
• ✓ CSS/JS → Auto-linked at site root
• ✓ Header/Footer → Extracted as global templates
• ✓ Forms → Rewired to lead capture
• ✓ Brand colors → Auto-detected from CSS

Import Modes

Full Site
// Import all pages, extract header/footer, import all assets

Single-Page Site
// For sites with anchor navigation (index.html#about, etc.)

Pages Only
// Import pages without extracting header/footer

Directory Mapping
// Map ZIP folders to content types:
// insights/ → blog
// services/ → services
// team/ → team

Security

LiteFrame includes enterprise-grade security features:

• → Rate Limiting: 5 login attempts per IP per 15 minutes
• → 2FA: Email-based 6-digit verification (toggle on/off)
• → Session Security: HttpOnly + Secure + SameSite=Strict cookies
• → CSRF Protection: Token on every form and AJAX request
• → File Validation: Extension whitelist, MIME verification, PHP detection
• → Activity Logging: Every action logged with user, IP, timestamp

Backup & Update

Creating Backups

Go to Settings → Backup to create a full backup (database + files + uploads).

Restoring Backups

Upload a backup ZIP in Settings → Restore to roll back to a previous state.

Updating LiteFrame

Upload a new LiteFrame ZIP in Settings → Update. Auto-backup runs before every update.

API Endpoints

Form Submission

POST /api/form

// Request body (JSON)
{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "message": "Hello!"
}

// Response
{
  "success": true,
  "lead_id": 123
}

Media Upload

POST /api/media/upload

// Multipart form data with file
// Requires authentication

// Response
{
  "success": true,
  "url": "/uploads/image.jpg",
  "id": 456
}