Free websites for students, built one thread at a time.
tantu turns simple text files into a fast, secure website with SEO already done. It is free and open source, and your site can live on GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages or any shared hosting plan without paying a thing.
Version 1.0 is out: a dashboard in your browser, ten themes, site search, automatic social images and FTP publishing, in one download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Why it is called tantu
Tantu is an old Sanskrit word for thread or fiber. A piece of cloth is made from thousands of threads crossing each other. The web works the same way, and so does this framework.
Instead of starting with one giant codebase, tantu grows from real projects. Each project adds one small, well-tested module, like a Markdown parser or a template engine. You only pull in the threads you need.
Get started in a few minutes
Download one file from the releases page. There is nothing to install.
On Windows, double click tantu.exe. On macOS or Linux, run ./tantu in a terminal. tantu creates a sample site and opens the dashboard in your browser.
Write your pages, pick a theme, and press Download site as ZIP. Then upload the files to your host.
# macOS or Linux
chmod +x tantu
./tantu
# or build from source
git clone https://github.com/mmrahmanbappi/tantu-c-framework.git
cd tantu
make
./tantu new mysite --theme blog
./tantu dashboard mysiteWhat you get in version 1.0
Everything a small website needs to look good, show up on Google and stay safe, without extra setup.
SEO done for you
Titles, meta descriptions, canonical links, sitemap.xml, robots.txt and an Atom feed on every build.
Schema and social previews
JSON-LD for your site, posts, projects and breadcrumbs, plus Open Graph and Twitter cards so shared links look right.
Safe by default
Content is escaped, unsafe links are removed, and security headers are added for shared hosting, Cloudflare Pages and Netlify.
A dashboard in your browser
Write with a live preview, upload images, switch themes and see an SEO score with simple advice for every page.
Publish in one click
Upload to your shared hosting over FTP from the dashboard. Only files that changed are sent.
Search, social images and fast photos
Every site gets a search page, a drawn preview image for each page, and photos resized for phones.
Host your site for free
tantu makes plain HTML files, so they work almost anywhere. Set your address in site.conf, build, and upload.
GitHub Pages
Upload the public folder to a repository and turn on Pages. Your site lives at yourname.github.io.
Cloudflare Pages
Create a free Pages project and drag in the public folder. Security headers are applied automatically.
Shared hosting
Publish from the dashboard over FTP, or upload the ZIP with your file manager. The included .htaccess file adds security headers and a proper 404 page.
Subdomains
Works the same on a subdomain like blog.yoursite.com or in a sub-folder like yourname.github.io/my-site.
Themes made for students
Every theme is responsive, readable, works in dark mode and includes all the SEO features, with schema that fits the kind of site.
Want to design a theme? Copy the blog theme and send a pull request.
All ten are ready: Blog, Portfolio, Resume, Research, Club, Event, Docs, Course Notes, Small Business and Gallery.
The plan
tantu grows in three releases. Each one adds features students asked for, and each feature becomes a module that other people can reuse. The full plan lists every item.
Version 0.1 Done
Command line tool, blog and portfolio themes, full SEO, Open Graph, schema, sitemap, feed and security headers.
Version 0.5 Done
A dashboard in your browser with an editor, live preview, image uploads, SEO score for every page and ZIP export. All ten themes. One download for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Version 1.0 Available
Publishing to shared hosting over FTP, search inside your site, automatic social images, responsive images and Google Analytics.
Next
Encrypted FTPS and SFTP uploads, WebP images, a setup wizard and a visual editor.
Why write it in C?
C runs on almost any computer, uses very little memory and starts instantly. That means tantu works well on old laptops and in computer labs, and the finished tool is one small program with nothing else to install.
Building it in the open is also a way to learn. Students can read how a Markdown parser, a template engine or a web server works, and improve it. Every change is tested with AddressSanitizer and UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer.
Get involved
You do not need to be a C expert to help. Early projects need people who ask good questions, test things, and write clear docs just as much as they need code.
- Star or watch the GitHub repository to follow progress.
- Share ideas about the API in Discussions.
- Report bugs or suggest features in Issues.
- Read the contributing guide and send your first pull request.
Frequently asked questions
Is tantu ready to use?
Yes. Version 1.0 has a dashboard, ten themes, site search, automatic social images and FTP publishing.
Is tantu free?
Yes. tantu uses the MIT license, so you can use it for personal and commercial sites, change it, and share it. There are no ads, no accounts and no tracking.
Can I host a tantu site for free?
Yes. tantu makes plain HTML files. You can host them for free on GitHub Pages or Cloudflare Pages, or upload them to any shared hosting plan, including on a subdomain.
Do I need to know C to use tantu?
No. You write your pages in Markdown, which is plain text with a few symbols for headings and links. You never need to see any C code. It only matters if you want to help improve tantu itself.
What does the name tantu mean?
Tantu is an old Sanskrit word for thread or fiber. A web is made of many threads, and the framework is made of many small modules.
How can I help with tantu?
Start a conversation in GitHub Discussions, report a bug or idea in Issues, or send a pull request. New themes, documentation and testing are just as welcome as code.