CommentsPress — Comments Administration (PHP)

A lightweight, open-source PHP application for managing comments. Jamstack-friendly and easy to self-host.

Quick start

1. Start a simple PHP server for local testing:

php -S 127.0.0.1:8000
# then open http://localhost:8000 in your browser

2. Ensure you have a running MySQL instance. You can use Docker:

# MySQL 5.7
docker run --name some-mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=my-secret-pw -p 3306:3306 -d mysql:5.7.29
# or an ARM-compatible image
docker run --name some-mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=my-secret-pw -p 3306:3306 -d arm64v8/mysql:8

3. Import the schema and (optionally) dummy data:

# Run the schema first (be careful not to overwrite an existing DB)
mysql -u root -p < sql/acme-db.sql
# Optional: import dummy data
mysql -u root -p < sql/acme-data.sql

Notes:

• If your schema doesn't match, update table columns manually.
• Tables used include: users, comments, pages, contactForms, configuration.

Configuration & deployment

1. Copy the connections template and edit database/mail/JWT settings:

cp ./config/connections-backup.php ./config/connections.php
# edit ./config/connections.php with your DB and mail settings

• verify db connection working http://localhost:8000/?action=bootstrap

2. Mail provider

• Copy mailConfig-back.php to mailConfig.php in mail/ and configure.
• If you use SendGrid, you can copy library/mailFunctions-sendGrid.php to library/mailFunctions.php.

3. Files to deploy

Copy the project files to your host, excluding the assets, rest, and mail folders if you plan different deployment strategies. Adjust file ownership and permissions for your web server.

4. Admin access

Register a new account or use an existing one. To grant admin access, set clientLevel >= 2 for the user in the users table.

Testing

Install dependencies and run tests:

composer install
php tests/initialize.php   # uncomment resetDb() when you want tests to reset the DB
./vendor/bin/phpunit
# or on Windows: .\vendor\bin\phpunit

To run a single test class or filter:

./vendor/bin/phpunit --filter testPageComments

Documentation

See the rest/ folder for API endpoints (comments, registration, contact forms).

Requirements

• PHP 7+
• MySQL (or compatible)
• Composer (for running the unit tests)
• Mail provider account (SendGrid, SMTP, etc.)

Features

• ✅ JWT authentication (uses adhocore/php-jwt)
• ✅ Configuration flags
• ✅ Comment moderation (approve/require moderation)
• ✅ Contact form support (send/view messages)
• ✅ API endpoints for comments and forms
• User management:
  • ✅ Register
  • ✅ Login
  • ✅ Change password
  • ✅ Update display name
  • ✅ View own comments

Planned:

• SSO integrations (Google, Facebook)
• Comment filtering / flagging system

Notes & warnings

• Be careful when running SQL files against existing databases — these can overwrite data.
• The example Docker commands are helpful for local development but evaluate security and persistence for production use.