Decap CMS (formerly Netlify CMS)

Decap CMS is an open-source content management system for websites built with static site generators and Git-based workflows. It provides a browser-based admin interface at a site’s /admin route.

Editors create and update structured content through configured collections and fields. Decap CMS then reads and commits files in a connected Git repository, while the site’s frontend framework generates the published experience.

The project was renamed from Netlify CMS to Decap CMS in February 2023. The core project remains self-hostable and is distributed under the MIT license.

• Browser-based editing with structured fields, rich text controls, Markdown support, and live previews.
• Git-native content storage with commits, branches, pull requests, merge requests, and repository history.
• Editorial workflow support for drafting, reviewing, approving, and publishing entries.
• Configurable collections, nested objects, repeatable lists, relation fields, slugs, and custom file paths.
• Backend integrations for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure, Gitea, Forgejo, Git Gateway, proxy services, and local testing.
• Media uploads through the built-in media library, with documented integrations for services such as Cloudinary and Uploadcare.
• Custom widgets, editor components, preview templates, localization, deploy previews, and content search.
• Local development support through decap-server.
• Optional Decap Turbo services for hosted authentication, request proxying, database-backed content access, roles, and site variables.

The core Decap CMS software is free, open source, and self-hostable. Users provide their own Git backend, authentication method, hosting, and deployment infrastructure.

Decap Turbo is an optional managed layer currently offered in closed beta. Its Free plan supports one site and one seat. The Pro plan costs €19 per month and includes one site and three seats, with additional seats and sites available as paid add-ons. Enterprise pricing is custom.

Decap Turbo’s Free plan is described as a free plan rather than a time-limited trial. The core CMS also has no separate trial because it can be used without a license fee.

Pros

• Free MIT-licensed core software.
• Preserves content in familiar Git repositories and file formats.
• Supports multiple Git hosting providers and authentication approaches.
• Provides editorial workflows based on branches and pull requests.
• Offers flexible content models and custom extensions.
• Works with many static-site generators and modern frontend stacks.

Cons

• Initial setup usually requires developer knowledge of Git, YAML, authentication, and deployment.
• The core product does not render or deliver the frontend website itself.
• Editors depend on the configured repository and backend APIs.
• Large repositories may require additional infrastructure to reduce Git API requests.
• Advanced centralized roles and managed authentication are associated with Decap Turbo rather than the basic self-hosted setup.
• Community support is more prominent than vendor-operated support for the open-source core.

TinaCMS is a comparable Git-backed CMS with visual editing features. Keystatic is another developer-oriented CMS that stores structured content in a Git repository. Sanity, Contentful, and Storyblok provide hosted headless CMS platforms with managed APIs and editorial infrastructure. Strapi offers a self-hostable headless CMS with a database-backed architecture.

Is Decap CMS the same as Netlify CMS?

Decap CMS is the successor and new name for Netlify CMS. The project changed names in February 2023.

Does Decap CMS require Netlify?

No. Decap CMS can connect to supported Git providers and custom authentication or proxy services. Netlify services are optional.

What programming languages does Decap CMS support?

Decap CMS is frontend-agnostic at the content-management level. It is commonly used with static-site generators and frontend stacks such as Jekyll, Hugo, Gatsby, Next.js, Astro, Nuxt, Eleventy, and similar systems.

Does Decap CMS have an API?

Decap CMS uses backend APIs to read and update repository content. It does not function as a standalone content delivery API. Developers determine how repository content is rendered or exposed by the frontend application.

Can nontechnical editors use Decap CMS?

Yes, editors can use its browser interface after a developer configures collections, authentication, media handling, and previews. Technical setup remains the main implementation requirement.

Does Decap CMS support drafts and approvals?

Yes. Its editorial workflow can create branches and pull requests or merge requests for unpublished entries, depending on the connected Git backend.

Is there a hosted version?

Decap Turbo is an optional managed service that adds hosted authentication, Git API request shielding, database-backed content access, roles, and site variables. The service is listed as being in closed beta.