LightStaticSite: A Week of Explosive Growth (Jan 11–19)

Over the past week, the LightStaticSite project has undergone significant changes, evolving from a simple static site generator into a powerful tool with multilingual support and AI capabilities.

Here’s a detailed overview of what was accomplished between January 11 and January 19, 2026.

🌍 Full Multilingual Integration

The most substantial structural change was the full implementation of multilingual support.

• New URL Structure: All content is now strictly separated into language-specific directories /ru/ and /en/. The root index.html is now "smart"—it automatically detects the user’s browser language and redirects them to the appropriate section.
• Post Synchronization via Bundles: Introduced a "bundle" logic. A post can now consist of index.md (RU) and index.en.md (EN), located in the same folder. The generator recognizes these as versions of the same article and correctly sets hreflang links for SEO.
• Interface Localization: All string constants (menu, footer, labels like "Next/Back") have been moved into site.yaml under the locales section. This allows changing the interface language without modifying HTML templates.

🤖 Admin UI v3: Artificial Intelligence Onboard

The admin panel (Admin UI) received a major update and is now more than just an editor—it’s a full-fledged workspace for translators.

• Split-View Editor: The interface is now split into two columns. You can write Russian text on the left and see the English translation on the right (or vice versa) in real time.
• AI Translation (Ollama):
  • Integrated with local LLMs via Ollama.
  • Added a Translate button (⬅️/➡️) that automatically translates the title, description, and article body, preserving the original Markdown formatting.
  • Connection settings (URL, Model) are now accessible directly in the interface.
• UX Improvements: Fixed issues with duplicated line breaks and date formatting. Added a quick preview (Preview Overlay).

⚙️ Build & Optimization

Behind the scenes, the generator (build.py) also saw extensive improvements:

1. Automated covers.json Generation: The script now scans posts for cover images and automatically generates the JSON file for the frontend, speeding up blog loading and preventing 404 errors.
2. Improved Cleanup: The cleanup system became smarter—it removes old files from the blog/ folder but carefully preserves protected paths (css, js, images) and files from the current build.
3. Sitemap & SEO: Sitemaps are now generated with priorities (0.8 for articles, 1.0 for homepage) and fully support alternative language versions.
4. Network Compatibility: Added httpx[socks] to requirements.txt for proper proxy support (critical for AI features).

📚 Documentation

No good code lives without documentation.

• Bilingual Guides: Files GENERATOR_DOCS.md and NEW_SITE_GUIDE.md have been completely rewritten and translated into two languages (RU/EN).
• Clear Instructions: Added sections on setting up the new Admin UI, using localization keys, and deploying new sites.

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Summary: LightStaticSite has matured. It’s now a ready-to-use solution for maintaining a technical blog targeting an international audience, with minimal effort on routine tasks.