Decap CMS — Git-Based Open Source Content Management

Introduction

Decap CMS (formerly Netlify CMS) is a Git-based headless content management system that gives editors a friendly web UI for managing content stored as files in a Git repository. It works with any static site generator and does not require a database, since all content is committed directly to the repo.

What Decap CMS Does

• Provides a browser-based editorial UI with rich text editing, media uploads, and live preview
• Stores all content as flat files (Markdown, YAML, JSON) in your Git repository
• Supports custom content types through a declarative YAML configuration schema
• Integrates authentication via GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket OAuth, or a custom backend
• Enables editorial workflows with draft, review, and publish states tracked as Git branches and pull requests

Architecture Overview

Decap CMS is a single-page React application that runs entirely in the browser. It communicates with Git hosting APIs (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) to read and write files. Content types are defined in a config.yml file that specifies collections, fields, and widgets. When an editor saves content, the CMS creates a commit (or pull request in editorial workflow mode) on the configured branch. There is no server component beyond the Git host itself.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Add the CMS by placing an admin/index.html and admin/config.yml in your static site
• Define collections in config.yml with folder paths, fields, and widget types (string, markdown, image, list, etc.)
• Configure the backend section to point at your Git provider and repository
• Set up authentication using the Git Gateway proxy, OAuth applications, or Netlify Identity
• Customize the editor UI with custom widgets, preview templates, and CSS

Key Features

• Git-native storage means all content changes are version-controlled with full commit history
• No database or server to maintain; the CMS is a static JavaScript bundle
• Editorial workflow enables content staging with draft/review/ready states as pull requests
• Media library supports image uploads to the repo or external services like Cloudinary
• Extensible widget system lets developers build custom field types for structured content

Comparison with Similar Tools

• TinaCMS — also Git-backed but offers visual inline editing on the live page; Decap CMS uses a separate admin panel
• Strapi — server-based headless CMS with a database backend; Decap CMS is serverless and Git-native
• Sanity — hosted real-time CMS with a custom query language; Decap CMS is self-hosted and stores data as files
• Keystatic — newer Git-based CMS from the Thinkmill team with TypeScript-first config; Decap CMS has wider adoption and more community plugins

FAQ

Q: What happened to Netlify CMS? A: Netlify CMS was renamed to Decap CMS in early 2023 when it transitioned to community-driven governance. The codebase and functionality are the same; only the name and npm package changed.

Q: Which static site generators work with Decap CMS? A: Any generator that reads Markdown or data files from a folder: Hugo, Gatsby, Eleventy, Next.js, Jekyll, Astro, and more. The CMS is generator-agnostic.

Q: Does Decap CMS support real-time collaboration? A: Not natively. Two editors can work on different content files simultaneously since each save creates a separate Git commit, but there is no live co-editing within a single document.

Q: Can I use Decap CMS without Netlify hosting? A: Yes. Decap CMS works with any hosting provider. You only need a Git backend (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket) and an authentication mechanism like an OAuth proxy or Git Gateway.

Sources

• https://github.com/decaporg/decap-cms
• https://decapcms.org/docs/