What is Decap CMS used for?

Decap CMS is listed as a Developer Tools tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

How do I get started with Decap CMS?

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

What license does Decap CMS use?

Decap CMS is listed under the MIT license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Is Decap CMS ready for production use?

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Is Decap CMS an alternative to Contentful?

Decap CMS is listed as an alternative to Contentful. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.

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Decap CMS

Open-source Git-based headless CMS for static site generators with a clean editorial interface.

View on GitHub Visit website

LicenseMIT

GitHub stars19.3k

Last commit1 weeks ago

Tags6 topics

JavascriptGitStatic SiteJamstackHeadless CmsNetlify

Overview

Why consider Decap CMS?

Decap CMS is an open-source, Git-based content management system for static sites. It provides a clean editorial UI that commits content changes directly to your Git repository.

Guided learning

Learn Decap CMS by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

3 min read 10 sections

In this guide10 sections

What is Decap CMS?

Decap CMS (formerly Netlify CMS) is an open-source, Git-based headless CMS for static site generators, developed with JavaScript and React. It operates as a browser-embedded content editor that commits content changes directly to your Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket), making it ideal for JAMstack and static site workflows.

Decap CMS renders a clean, non-technical editorial dashboard inside any web page, allowing content editors to create and modify Markdown, YAML, and JSON files without touching Git commands. Every save action creates a real Git commit, giving content a full version history.

Who Is It For?

JAMstack Developers: Adding a non-technical editorial interface to Next.js, Hugo, Gatsby, Astro, Eleventy, or Jekyll sites.
Technical Writers & Editors: Managing documentation or blog content through a visual interface while maintaining Git-based version control.
Small Teams: Collaborating on static website content without paying for a commercial CMS subscription.

Key Features

Git-based content storage: Every save is a Git commit, providing complete content version history.
Framework-agnostic: Works with Hugo, Next.js, Gatsby, Astro, Jekyll, Eleventy, and any static site generator.
Editorial workflow: Draft, review, and approval states for content before publishing.
Media library management: Upload and manage images with cloud storage providers.
Customizable widget library: Text, Markdown, images, datetime, lists, objects, and custom widgets.

Adding Decap CMS to a Hugo Site

Add Decap CMS to your Hugo site's static directory:

html

1

2<!doctype html>

3<html>

4<head>

5 <meta charset="utf-8" />

6 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />

7 <title>Content Manager</title>

8</head>

9<body>

10 

11 <script src="https://unpkg.com/decap-cms@^3.0.0/dist/decap-cms.js"></script>

12</body>

13</html>

Create the configuration file:

yaml

1# static/admin/config.yml

2backend:

3 name: github

4 repo: your-org/your-site-repo

5 branch: main

7media_folder: "static/uploads"

8public_folder: "/uploads"

10collections:

11 - name: "posts"

12 label: "Blog Posts"

13 folder: "content/posts"

14 create: true

15 fields:

16 - { label: "Title", name: "title", widget: "string" }

17 - { label: "Date", name: "date", widget: "datetime" }

18 - { label: "Body", name: "body", widget: "markdown" }

Practical Use Cases

1. Marketing Team Blog Management

A marketing team edits blog posts through the Decap CMS dashboard; changes trigger a Netlify deploy preview, and editors review the rendered article before merging.

2. Documentation Site Content Updates

A technical writer updates API documentation sections through the editorial interface; each save auto-creates a Git commit with the change message.

3. Multi-Author Site with Editorial Workflow

Multiple editors draft articles in the "In Review" state; a senior editor approves drafts and merges them to main, triggering the production static site build.

Troubleshooting and Limitations

OAuth GitHub App Configuration: Decap CMS requires a registered GitHub OAuth App to authenticate editors; configure the OAuth provider credentials in your backend settings or use Netlify's built-in authentication.
Large Media Files: For repositories with many images, use Git LFS or a cloud media backend (Cloudinary, Uploadcare) to prevent repository size bloat.

Official Resources

Official Website: https://decapcms.org
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/decaporg/decap-cms
Documentation: https://decapcms.org/docs

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