Starlink Blog#
What exactly is a blockchain blog? I still haven't figured it out. Where is the data stored? A superficial understanding is that it uses a distributed storage method, breaking data into pieces, with data stored at various nodes, making it difficult to tamper with, thus ensuring high security and privacy.
It's like if Notion crashes, the data is lost; with blockchain, each node has a complete copy of the data. If this computer is smashed, it doesn't matter; you can switch to another computer, and the data is still there. Nonsense! Which online note-taking app doesn't have this synchronization feature?
Alternatively, you can understand it this way: a blockchain node is like a server, and there are countless nodes, each storing a complete copy of the data. Even if the blog website goes down, the data is still there.
You store the data in the starry sky, with each star holding complete data. The xLog blog is a data line connecting to the starry sky, tasked with transmitting data to the stars. If this data line breaks, it doesn't affect the data already sent to each star; they remain intact, and you just need to replace the line and re-establish the connection.
Blockchain is just a gimmick; it's not important.
Peer Comparison#
There are many open-source free blogging systems online. For example, before xLog, I was using the Nobelium framework, deployed on the Vercel blogging system. It's convenient for writing, has a minimalist interface, and synchronization only requires creating notes in Notion, without even a publish button. Example: Leidi's Notes
The main issue with this type of blog is that it's not user-friendly for beginners; it requires some prior knowledge of programming and relies on various plugins, such as website data statistics, comment systems, etc.
Most people haven't even written a few words before they get completely frustrated. Every time they upload, it's a series of commands, and when errors occur, they lose half their hair.
In terms of other functionalities, this type of blog is simply inadequate.
Does anyone even visit the blog? Which article gets the most clicks? There’s no comment system. These functions can be implemented with some twists and turns, but you have to apply for various tokens and install plugins. It’s exhausting and hard to maintain.
Is there a simple and easy-to-use integrated solution? WordPress can develop websites and build blogs, with a complete plugin system and an intuitive backend interface, but most are paid and relatively heavy.
I originally just wanted to casually post something, perhaps some text with no nutritional value. When faced with those heavyweight blog backends and serious dashboards, my expression instantly turned grave.
I don't dare to bother you with the things I write casually; every time I click the publish button, I have to face a Nobel Prize in Literature review committee of hundreds of people. Do you dare to publish such garbage?
xLog's AI auto-generated article summaries are indeed temporarily ahead of other blogging systems, summarizing effectively and conveniently.
Other blogging systems either require inserting a paragraph tag within the article page; or writing it yourself; or copying the article content into the summary prompt box.
So xLog isn't particularly easy to use; it’s all thanks to peer comparison.
Data Synchronization#
Let’s skip the fancy stuff; the xLog backend is clean and refreshing, with functions that are clear at a glance. Statistics, article publishing, site settings—just click through each one, and you'll understand in 15 minutes.
Set up Chrome Wallet → xLog. So how do you synchronize if you have two computers? Just replicate this method; the Fox Wallet needs to fill in the mnemonic phrase from the first application, open xLog to reconnect, and you can log into the backend on the other computer.
However, I feel that using multiple devices is too cumbersome, especially when every time you set something, the Fox Wallet always has to cause trouble. I just want to record some food and drink; you don’t need to make a big deal out of it.
At first, I thought the Fox Wallet was for making money, but in practice, whether publishing articles or modifying settings, it’s a form of consumption. Therefore, this faucet needs to be bookmarked; if it’s below 0.02CSB, you can go here to claim a "relief fund" for your daily posting needs.
I was surprised to find out that posting a blog article requires spending my own money, which can be understood as transmission costs. I spend my own money to transmit data to the stars; I can write whatever I want, and you can’t control me!
Since it’s decentralized, xLog exists as a transmission medium and data renderer, responsible for transmitting user data to various nodes on the blockchain. Whether it’s peeking at data or if there’s a censorship mechanism remains to be seen.
Wherever our party shines, Big Brother is always watching you. What’s wrong with the stars? The stars are not a lawless land!
Data Export#
"Those who plan for victory do not worry about defeat; thus, they can fight a hundred battles without danger." Although the data transmitted to the stars is safe, since the website has an export function, it should be used reasonably. Depending on your article publishing frequency, you can back up and export articles every six months.
Usually, we don’t directly create articles in a blog backend. Personally, my creative process starts in Obsidian, uploading local images to an image hosting service, and finally copying them to xLog for publication.
Therefore, the text originates locally; whether to periodically export the website's Markdown depends on personal needs.
Mysterious Techniques#
Currently, the biggest problem I encounter with xLog is binding a custom domain name.
I use Namesilo, and if I want to directly map the root domain, such as lenband.com, to CNAME with @, there’s no way to save it; it prompts an error.
After testing all possibilities, all ended in failure. I sought advice from the legendary star-eyed teacher @DIYgod, who suggested using Cloudflare to take over the Namesilo domain resolution service.
What is Cloudflare? It’s like a domain acceleration proxy service provider. No matter which domain company you purchased your domain from, Cloudflare can take over the domain's built-in resolution function and help accelerate it.
Cloudflare can use CNAME to fill in @; typically, @ must point to a specific IP address via A, but Cloudflare can achieve CNAME directly using the root domain's flattening function.
Then the hair-pulling issues arise.
- Should I save the records on Namesilo?
- Should the NS records on Namesilo be replaced with Cloudflare? What happens if they are not replaced?
- What’s the difference between Cloudflare's DNS and CDN?
I’m a programming novice, and I can only verify these things through constant trial and error. I don’t understand the underlying principles or why they are set up this way.
If you also purchased a domain through Namesilo, you might refer to my method for binding a custom domain to xLog.
Although Namesilo doesn’t allow writing @, I still wrote a CNAME record. Whether it works or not may require divination to find out.
After being taken over by Cloudflare, Namesilo effectively loses its ability to resolve the domain but can retain the original label values without conflict. You might even have to revert it.
Namesilo only needs to set these two places; the NS is the most important, just like you want to drive someone else's car—you need the car keys!
I won’t elaborate on the basic operations like registering on Cloudflare and adding a website; I believe that if your hands-on ability is even slightly lacking, you won’t make it this far.
According to the xLog backend's custom domain name prompt, add your domain records to Cloudflare.
If you have subdomains, you also need to add them to Cloudflare, as it has fully taken over the Namesilo resolution service. If you don’t add subdomain records, the subdomain website may become inaccessible.
What is the proxy status? DNS is just for ordinary resolution functions, while CDN is for acceleration mode. Unfortunately, I chose the CDN mode, which causes the subdomain to be accessible domestically but not internationally.
Of course, this may be because it wasn’t fully resolved while I was testing.
Every time you modify a CNAME or NS record, it requires some time for buffering and updating. After modifying the records, if you don’t receive feedback at that moment, it doesn’t mean the settings are wrong; you need to wait for a while.
This waiting period could be mystical, ranging from half an hour to an hour. During this time, you can do some divination to see if it will succeed.
During the testing process, you need to constantly switch VPNs to see if it can be accessed normally both domestically and internationally.
In total, there are just a few steps to operate, and the parameters to set are limited; the rest is left to time.
This process can be delayed, not just by a minute or two. It’s possible that your first operation is correct, but you don’t observe the correct feedback and make adjustments, which could lead to the second adjustment overriding the first correct one, trapping you in a cycle of right and wrong, like a little mouse running around in a maze, needing several trials to find the good stuff not far away.
Cloudflare does indeed accelerate the website; especially when the VPN is on, it opens almost instantly and can record website data, which, although incomprehensible, feels quite cool.
If you’re lucky enough to read this blog post, you might avoid a few unnecessary detours.
Well, no matter how difficult the process was, I finally bound my domain to xLog. This step means that from now on, every star will have your name on it.
In fact, xLog’s built-in links are already very cool; it’s unnecessary to go through all this trouble, but you just can’t help but tinker with it. 😮💨