flatlake.app

What It Is

Flatlake is a static API generator designed to provide a Headless CMS-like interface on top of a set of Git-managed static files. It reads Markdown files and their front matter, generates JSON files, and can be deployed under a domain as a static API. It can also be loaded by other static site generators as a data source.

Core Capabilities

Flatlake’s core output comes in three forms: a single JSON endpoint for each source file; paginated list endpoints generated by collection; and aggregate endpoints automatically generated from front matter fields. For example, it can generate paginated lists by fields such as tags or author. Collection configuration supports output_key, input paths, glob, merge_data, page_size, sort_key, and sort_direction, and can control whether single, list, and aggregate outputs are generated. For both single items and lists, you can also choose elements such as data, flat_data, content, and content_ast, making it suitable for rendering Markdown AST in environments beyond the web.

Installation, Configuration, and Ecosystem

It can be run quickly via npx flatlake, downloaded as a prebuilt binary from GitHub, or built from source with cargo install flatlake. The documentation describes it as a static binary with no dynamic dependencies, supporting Windows, macOS, and Linux. Configuration files can be written in YAML, TOML, or JSON, with support for some CLI flags and environment variables. In terms of ecosystem, the available information only mentions the npm wrapper, GitHub releases, and Cargo installation; no official plugins for specific frameworks or CMS platforms were found.

Pricing and Open Source Status

The collected information does not provide pricing, commercial plans, payment methods, or SLA details. It mentions GitHub releases and building from source, but does not clearly state a license, so its open-source licensing scope cannot be determined directly.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

The main advantage is that the output is pure static JSON, which keeps deployment costs low. It is well suited to Git-based content repositories, static sites, multi-site content sharing, and teams migrating from a Headless CMS while wanting the frontend to keep consuming an API. The downside is that it is fundamentally a build-time tool and does not provide dynamic backend capabilities. If you need authentication, real-time writes, complex filtered queries, an admin dashboard, or workflow approvals, you will need to pair it with other systems.

Access in China

The source text does not provide information about mainland China access, mirrors, payments, or network availability. If you rely on npm, downloading binaries from GitHub, or building from source, availability in China may depend on the specific network environment. Possible workarounds include using domestic npm mirrors, caching binaries, or considering alternatives such as static-site data generation scripts, Headless CMS platforms, or Git-based CMS solutions.