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Home/Categories/Web Development/Decap CMS
icon of Decap CMS

Decap CMS

Open source alternative to CloudCannon, Contentful and Sanity.io

An open-source, Git-based content management system for static websites, offering a flexible editing interface.

image of Decap CMS
Contents
  1. 01Who Decap CMS is for

Repository

Stars
19.1K
Forks
3.1K
License
MIT
Latest
[email protected]
Last commit
6 days ago
Last verified
May 29, 2026
Repo
decaporg/decap-cms ↗
19.1K starsJavaScriptMITActive this week
Visit websiteGitHub repo
  • 02The problem it solves
  • 03How it solves it
  • 04Strengths and trade-offs
  • 05Decap CMS vs alternatives
  • 06Tech stack
  • 07FAQ
  • 08Similar open-source tools
    • TL;DR

    Decap CMS is an MIT-licensed Git-based CMS for static sites that need editorial editing without moving content into a proprietary database. It replaces hosted CMS tools like Contentful or Sanity for teams that want content changes stored as commits in their repository.MIT · JavaScript · 19.1K stars · Active this week

    who it's for

    Who Decap CMS is for#

    Documentation teams editing Markdown sites

    Use Decap CMS to give writers a browser UI while keeping docs in Git and preserving review workflows.

    Skip if:

    Skip if writers need Google Docs-style collaboration and comments inside the CMS.

    Small marketing sites on static generators

    Content editors can update pages, blog posts, and images without learning Git commands.

    Skip if:

    Skip if your site needs complex personalization or high-volume multi-region content APIs.

    the problem

    The problem it solves#

    how Decap CMS solves it

    How it solves it#

    Git-backed content editing

    Stores content changes in the project repository, so edits flow through commits, branches, and pull requests instead of a separate content database.

    Config-driven collections

    Defines editable content types, fields, media paths, and editorial workflows in configuration files alongside the site.

    Static-site friendly admin UI

    Adds a browser-based editing interface to static sites while preserving Markdown and frontmatter file formats.

    strengths · trade-offs

    Strengths and trade-offs#

    Strengths

    • Repository remains the source of truthContent stays portable because pages and data live in Git rather than behind a vendor API.
    • Good fit for Jamstack sitesDecap CMS works naturally with static-site generators and deploy pipelines that already build from repository changes.

    Trade-offs

    • -Less suitable for complex content platformsDecap CMS works best for file-based content. Teams needing real-time collaboration, relational content modeling, or large editorial operations may prefer a hosted headless CMS.
    versus alternatives

    Decap CMS vs alternatives#

    tech stack · detected from GitHub

    What it's built on#

    Languages
    JavaScriptTypeScript
    Frameworks
    React
    Tooling
    Webpack
    frequently asked

    FAQ#

    Is Decap CMS open source?

    Yes. Decap CMS is open source under the MIT license.

    How does Decap CMS store content?

    Decap CMS stores content in Git, usually as Markdown, frontmatter, and media files inside the site repository.

    How does Decap CMS compare to Contentful?
    also worth a look

    Similar open-source tools#

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    Build code-first CMS backends with TypeScript schemas, API access,

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    15.5KPHPMIT
    Drupal

    Drupal

    Open source CMS for enterprise and complex digital experiences

    4.3KPHP
    Craft CMS

    Craft CMS

    Flexible developer-friendly CMS for content teams

    3.6KPHP
    Sulu

    Sulu

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    Directus

    Directus

    Wrap any SQL database with REST and GraphQL APIs and an admin UI

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    Additional details

    Language
    JavaScript
    Open issues
    598
    Contributors
    606
    First release
    2015

    Categories

    Web DevelopmentBusiness & ProductivityDeveloper Tools

    Tags

    CMSHeadless CMSBloggingDocumentationDeveloper ToolsGitWebsite Builder

    Static-site teams often want non-developers to edit Markdown, frontmatter, and media without opening Git. Hosted CMS products solve the editing UI problem, but they move content into an external system and add API dependency, pricing, and migration concerns.

    For documentation sites, marketing sites, and Jamstack projects, the repository is already the source of truth. The missing piece is an editor-friendly interface that writes clean commits.

    Decap CMS vs Contentful

    Decap CMS and Contentful both give editors a content UI, but they store content in different places. Decap CMS writes to Git; Contentful stores content in a proprietary hosted platform and serves it through APIs.

    Decap CMS is better for static sites where Git should remain the source of truth. Contentful is still better for large editorial teams that need advanced content modeling, roles, localization, and managed APIs.

    Contentful is a hosted headless CMS with APIs and enterprise content modeling. Decap CMS is Git-based and works best when the repository should remain the content source.