What is Decap CMS used for?

Decap CMS is a Git-based content management interface for static site generators, formerly Netlify CMS, that gives editors a clean UI over content stored in your repository. It is a good fit for editor-friendly content for Hugo or Jekyll sites, Git-based workflows for marketing pages and adding a CMS to a static documentation site.

Is Decap CMS open source?

Yes. Decap CMS is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at decaporg/decap-cms and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Decap CMS is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Decap CMS?

Yes. Decap CMS can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Decap CMS an alternative to?

Decap CMS is an open-source alternative to Prismic, Storyblok and CloudCannon. Other open-source alternatives to Prismic include Sveltia CMS, Pages CMS and Keystatic.

Is Decap CMS actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Decap CMS was on 2 October 2026. The project has 19k stars on GitHub.

Decap CMS: open-source alternative to Prismic, Storyblok

About Decap CMS

Decap CMS, previously known as Netlify CMS until early 2023, is an open-source content editor designed for sites built with static site generators. It gives non-developers a simple interface for adding and editing content, while the content itself is stored as files in a Git repository.

It works as a single-page React app that you include under the /admin path of your site. A YAML configuration file describes your content model, and you can adjust the CMS layout to match the site. When someone visits /admin they log in and can then create or edit entries, with changes committed to Git. There are two ways to set it up: a quick install with a single HTML file plus a config file that loads scripts from a CDN, or a fuller installation integrated into your static site build for more flexibility.

Decap CMS is licensed under MIT and is a client-side app, so there is no database server to run. It is a popular choice for Jamstack sites on generators like Hugo, Jekyll and Eleventy, where teams want editors to manage content without touching code.

Key features

Editing UI for content stored in Git
YAML-defined content models
Single-page app mounted at /admin
Quick CDN install or full build integration
Works with any static site generator
Login-protected editing interface

Good fit for

→Editor-friendly content for Hugo or Jekyll sites
→Git-based workflows for marketing pages
→Adding a CMS to a static documentation site

Built with: JavaScript; React
Tags: cms; git-based-cms; static-site; jamstack; netlify-cms; react; headless-cms; content-management

Decap CMS: questions and answers

What is Decap CMS used for?: Decap CMS is a Git-based content management interface for static site generators, formerly Netlify CMS, that gives editors a clean UI over content stored in your repository. It is a good fit for editor-friendly content for Hugo or Jekyll sites, Git-based workflows for marketing pages and adding a CMS to a static documentation site.
Is Decap CMS open source?: Yes. Decap CMS is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at decaporg/decap-cms and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Decap CMS free?: Yes. Decap CMS is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Decap CMS?: Yes. Decap CMS can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Decap CMS an alternative to?: Decap CMS is an open-source alternative to Prismic, Storyblok and CloudCannon. Other open-source alternatives to Prismic include Sveltia CMS, Pages CMS and Keystatic.
Is Decap CMS actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Decap CMS was on 2 October 2026. The project has 19k stars on GitHub.