Building a Website with Publii Static CMS

Getting Started | Updated April 2026

Publii is a free, open-source static site generator with a desktop app that lets you build and manage a website without needing a database, CMS login, or any server-side software. You design your site locally on your computer, then publish the generated HTML files to your Ultra Web Hosting account with one click. It is a practical alternative to WordPress for customers who want a simple, fast, secure website without the learning curve.

In This Guide
  1. What Is Publii
  2. Why Choose Publii Over WordPress
  3. Download and Install Publii
  4. Create Your First Site
  5. Add Pages and Posts
  6. Customize Your Theme
  7. Connect Publii to Your Hosting Account
  8. Publish Your Site
  9. Using Your Own Domain Name
  10. Updating Your Site
  11. Limitations to Be Aware Of
  12. Other Lightweight Alternatives
Key Advantage

No Server Software to Maintain

Publii generates plain HTML files. There is no PHP, no database, no login page for attackers to target, and no plugins to update. Your site loads fast, stays secure, and costs nothing extra to run on your existing Ultra Web Hosting account.

01. What Is Publii

Publii is a desktop application (Windows, macOS, Linux) that works as a static site content management system. Instead of running on a web server like WordPress or Joomla, Publii runs on your own computer. You write your content in a visual editor, pick a theme, adjust settings, and when you are ready, Publii generates a complete set of static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. You then upload those files to your hosting account.

The result is a website made entirely of pre-built HTML pages. There is no server-side processing when a visitor loads your site, which means pages load extremely fast and there is virtually nothing for an attacker to exploit.

Publii is open source (GPL-3 licensed) and completely free. There are optional premium themes and plugins on their marketplace, but the core application and several built-in themes cost nothing.

02. Why Choose Publii Over WordPress

WordPress

  • Requires PHP and a MySQL/MariaDB database
  • Needs regular updates (core, themes, plugins)
  • Login page is a target for brute force attacks
  • Plugins can conflict or slow down the site
  • More features, but steeper learning curve
More power, more maintenance

Publii

  • No server-side requirements - just HTML files
  • No updates to apply on the server
  • No login page or admin panel to attack
  • Nothing to conflict - what you build is what you get
  • Fewer features, but much simpler to use
Simpler and more secure
When WordPress Is Still the Better Choice

If you need e-commerce (WooCommerce), membership areas, contact forms with server-side processing, or a site with hundreds of dynamic pages, WordPress is still the right tool. Publii is best for blogs, portfolios, small business informational sites, and documentation. See our WordPress installation guide if you decide WordPress is the better fit.

03. Download and Install Publii

  1. Visit the Publii website - Go to getpublii.com/download and download the installer for your operating system (Windows 10+, macOS 11+, or Linux 64-bit).
  2. Run the installer - On Windows, run the .exe file and follow the prompts. On macOS, open the .dmg and drag Publii to your Applications folder. On Linux, install the .deb or .AppImage.
  3. Launch Publii - Open the application. You will see a welcome screen asking you to create your first website.

04. Create Your First Site

  1. Click "Create new website" - Enter a name for your site (this becomes the site title displayed to visitors).
  2. Pick a theme - Publii includes several free themes. You can preview each one before choosing. You can always change the theme later.
  3. Set your author name - This appears on blog posts if you use the blog functionality.

Once created, you land on the Publii dashboard where you can manage posts, pages, menus, tags, and site settings.

05. Add Pages and Posts

Publii has three content editors to choose from:

  • Block Editor - A visual drag-and-drop editor similar to WordPress's Gutenberg but simpler
  • WYSIWYG Editor - A traditional rich text editor (like the classic WordPress editor)
  • Markdown Editor - For users comfortable with Markdown syntax

To add a page or post, click Posts in the left sidebar, then Add new post. Write your content, add images by dragging them in, set a featured image if your theme supports it, and click Save. Your content is saved locally on your computer until you publish.

Posts vs. Pages

Posts are date-based content (blog entries, news updates) that appear in chronological lists. Pages are standalone content (About, Contact, Services) that appear in your navigation menu. Most small business sites use mostly pages with an optional blog section.

06. Customize Your Theme

Go to Site Settings in the left sidebar. Under Theme, you will find options that vary by theme but typically include:

  • Colors (background, text, accent colors)
  • Fonts and typography
  • Header and footer layout
  • Sidebar configuration
  • Custom CSS if you want to add your own styling
  • Logo and favicon uploads

Click Preview your changes at any time to see how your site will look before publishing.

07. Connect Publii to Your Hosting Account

This is where your Ultra Web Hosting account comes in. Publii needs to know where to upload the generated files.

Setup Required

FTP/SFTP Connection Details

You will need your FTP hostname, username, password, and the path to your public_html directory. Find these in cPanel under FTP Accounts, or check your Ultra Web Hosting welcome email. If you need help locating these, open a support ticket and we will send them to you.

  1. Go to Server settings - In Publii, click the globe/server icon in the left sidebar (or go to Site Settings > Server).
  2. Select protocol - Choose SFTP (recommended for security) or FTP/FTPS.
  3. Enter your connection details:
    • Server address - Your domain name or server hostname (e.g., yourdomain.com or the server hostname from your welcome email)
    • Port - 22 for SFTP, 21 for FTP
    • Username - Your cPanel username or FTP account username
    • Password - Your FTP password
    • Output directory - /public_html for your main domain, or /public_html/subdirectory if you want the site in a subfolder
  4. Test the connection - Click the test button. If it succeeds, you are ready to publish.
Tip

If you are putting Publii on an addon domain, set the output directory to that domain's document root (e.g., /addondomain.com). Check cPanel > Domains to confirm the correct path. For more on addon domains, see our addon domain guide.

08. Publish Your Site

  1. Click "Sync your website" - The button is in the bottom-left corner of the Publii sidebar (or use the preview/sync buttons at the top).
  2. Wait for upload - Publii generates all the HTML files and uploads them via FTP/SFTP. The first sync takes longer since it uploads everything. Future syncs only upload changed files.
  3. Visit your site - Open your domain in a browser. Your static site is now live.

The generated files are standard HTML. If you browse your public_html directory in cPanel File Manager, you will see index.html, your CSS files, images, and individual HTML pages for each post and page.

09. Using Your Own Domain Name

In Publii, go to Site Settings and set the Website URL to your full domain (e.g., https://yourdomain.com). This ensures all internal links, sitemaps, and canonical URLs use the correct address.

If your domain is registered elsewhere and you need to point it to your Ultra Web Hosting account, update your nameservers to:

ns1.ultranameservers.com
ns2.ultranameservers.com
ns3.ultranameservers.com

See our DNS propagation guide for more detail on how long this takes and how to verify it.

10. Updating Your Site

Whenever you add or edit content in Publii, just click Sync your website again. Publii detects what has changed and only uploads the updated files. There is no database to worry about, no cache to clear on the server, and no risk of a failed update breaking your site.

Backups

Your entire site source lives in Publii's local data folder on your computer. Back up this folder regularly - it contains your posts, images, and settings. If your computer dies, you can reinstall Publii on a new machine, restore the data folder, and pick up exactly where you left off. See our backup guide for general backup practices.

11. Limitations to Be Aware Of

Static sites have tradeoffs. Here is what Publii cannot do on its own:

  • Contact forms - Since there is no server-side processing, you need a third-party form service (Formspree, Getform, etc.) or embed a form from your email marketing tool. Publii has plugins for some of these.
  • Comments - No built-in commenting. You can integrate Disqus or similar services via Publii's plugin system.
  • E-commerce - No shopping cart. You can embed buy buttons from services like Snipcart, Gumroad, or PayPal, but a full store needs WordPress + WooCommerce or a dedicated e-commerce platform.
  • User logins / membership areas - Not possible with static HTML. Use password-protected directories in cPanel as a basic workaround, or use WordPress for real membership functionality.
  • Search - Publii has a built-in search plugin that uses a JSON index (no server processing needed), but it works best for smaller sites.

12. Other Lightweight Alternatives

If Publii is not quite the right fit, here are a few other options that work on your Ultra Web Hosting account without the complexity of WordPress:

  • Bludit - A flat-file CMS (no database) that runs on the server. Upload it to public_html, visit your domain, and follow the setup wizard. Simple admin panel for editing content in the browser. Requires PHP (included with all Ultra Web Hosting plans).
  • Grav - Another flat-file CMS with more features than Bludit, including a plugin system and Markdown-based content. Good for documentation sites and portfolios. Also PHP-based.
  • ClassicPress - A WordPress fork without the block editor. If the main objection to WordPress is the Gutenberg editing experience, ClassicPress keeps the familiar classic editor. Same plugin/theme ecosystem (mostly compatible). Installs the same way as WordPress.

All three of these run directly on your hosting account with no desktop software required.

Need Help Choosing or Setting Up?

If you are not sure which option is right for your project, open a ticket and tell us what your site needs to do. We will point you in the right direction.

Open a Support Ticket

Quick Recap: Getting Started with Publii

If you only do 5 things from this guide, do these:

  1. Download Publii - Free from getpublii.com, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux
  2. Create a site and add content - Use the visual editor to build your pages and posts locally
  3. Set up the FTP/SFTP connection - Enter your Ultra Web Hosting credentials in Publii's server settings
  4. Set your Website URL - Make sure it matches your actual domain (with https:// if you have SSL)
  5. Click Sync - Publii uploads the generated HTML files to your hosting account and your site is live

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