Lite Sites

Detail	Value
From	Newspack and Emergency Mode for News
Requires at least
Tested up to
Requires PHP
License
Stable tag	(see package.json)
Changelog	Changelog
Sponsor	Press Forward
Contributors	@automattic, @newspack & @miguelpeixe, @rtcamp, @scottklein, @tiffehr

README MENU

• Description
• Background
• Lite Sites Features
• Known Limitations
• Installation
• FAQ
• Troubleshooting
• Reports or Contributions
• License

Description

Lite Sites is a WordPress plugin developed by Newspack and released to all WordPress users through the Emergency Mode for News initiative. It creates a stripped-down, text-only version of your website that loads rapidly even when bandwidth is severely compromised—making critical information accessible during network failures, disasters and other emergencies.

[!IMPORTANT] Try it now! Launch Lite Sites in a temporary WordPress Playground

Think of it as the digital equivalent of keeping a transistor radio for emergencies: 📻 it works when everything else fails.

This alternate Lite Site provides a stripped-down, basic HTML document with inline CSS — no theme, no Blocks runtime, no tracking scripts and no images unless the reader taps to load one.

With some planning, it can also help address:

• breaking-news traffic spikes that overwhelm hosting
• satellite or dial-up connections
• readers on a metered plan
• low-vision-optimized renderings and other accessibility improvements

Lite Sites publishes via a domain suffix like <your-site.com>/lite/, <your-site.com>/text/ or other domain variations you configure. On WordPress the domain path you choose will be added automatically. However, you could mask that pattern via any subdomain or other pattern you prefer via your hosting provider's records.

Background

Lite Sites began as a Newspack-hosted feature and available to Newspack Publishers who needed text-only options during disasters.

This repository is the rebuilt, public version. It was upgraded and opened to all WordPress users through the Emergency Mode for News grant, made possible by an infrastructure grant from Press Forward, a national initiative to reimagine local news.

The Emergency Mode for News program provides free resources, training and open-source tools including this Lite Site plugin and a modern liveblogging plugin. Project goals, technical upgrades and the rationale for taking it public are described at emergencymode.news.

What changed with this new version:

• Packaged as a standalone WordPress plugin
• A new RSS Feed Import system, so a Lite Site can aggregate and republish coverage from partner newsrooms during an emergency
• A React-based admin (built on @wordpress/dataviews) replacing the original settings screen
• Appearance controls (brand color, fonts, footer, custom CSS) so a Lite Site still reads as yours
• An offline page for sites running a service worker via the PWA plugin

Lite Sites Features

Text-only rendering

• Serves every eligible Post and Page, and your reverse-cron full archive as a text-only site alternative
• Simplifies standard WordPress content via a strict allowlist of elements — headings, paragraphs, lists, blockquotes, links and basic emphasis
  • Strips `