Decap CMS
A web editing interface for sites built with static site generators, storing content in Git.
- Stars
- 19.5k
- Forks
- 3.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Decap CMS is a single-page admin app you add to a static website at the /admin path. It gives editors a clean interface for changing content that is stored in a Git repository, based on a YAML config that describes your site's content model. It is the renamed successor of Netlify CMS.
- Let editors log in at /admin and create or edit posts on a static site
- Define the fields of a content type (collections) in a YAML config file
- Customize the main layout of the CMS to fit your own site
- Use the quick install with a single HTML file and a config file, loading CSS and JavaScript from a CDN
Great for
- Teams that want non-developers to edit content on a static site
- Sites built with a static site generator that keep content in a Git repository
- Developers who want a self-hosted, MIT-licensed editor instead of a hosted CMS
- Projects that can define their content structure in a YAML config file
Not ideal for
- Sites that need a traditional database-backed CMS, since content lives in Git rather than a database
- Users who want a fully hosted, no-setup service, because the README's quick start still requires configuration (a hosted option called Decap Turbo is mentioned separately)
- Non-technical people setting up the site alone, since the README expects editing a YAML config and possibly a build system
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: A static site built with a static site generator · Node.js and npm for the advanced npm-based install
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/decaporg/decap-cms - 2
Run it
- Follow the Quick Start Guide at decapcms.org/docs/quick-start for the single HTML file setup
- Create a config file describing your content collections in YAML
- Load the admin page at /admin on your site
- Log in and create or edit content
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Edit the YAML config to define collections that match your site's content types
- Customize the main layout of the admin UI to fit your site
- Read the Core Concepts docs at decapcms.org/docs/intro to understand the model
- Consider Decap Turbo if you need hosted login and cached large collections
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Content is stored in Git, so changes have version history
- Offers both a quick CDN-based install and a more flexible npm-based install
Trade-offs
- Requires a YAML configuration to describe the content model, which takes setup effort
- The README is truncated, so details on authentication and Git backends are not covered here
- Mentions a hosted paid-style option (Decap Turbo) alongside the open-source project, so check what is included before relying on it
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decap-cms (this) | 19.5k | App | intermediate | 5 days ago | Teams that want non-developers to edit content on a static site |
| payload | 45.6k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers already building with Next.js and React who want a backend without a separate server |
| react-static | 10.3k | Framework | intermediate | 4.0 years ago | Developers who already know React and want a static site |
| gridea | 10.2k | App | beginner | 3.3 years ago | Bloggers who want to own their content as plain static files |
| next.js | 143k | Framework | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers already comfortable with React who want a full framework around it |
| Ghost | 55.7k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Writers or publishers who want to run their own blog or newsletter site |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.