Decap CMS

What Is Decap CMS?

Decap CMS is an open-source, Git-based content management system that provides a browser-based editorial interface for static sites and Jamstack projects. Instead of storing content in a database, it reads from and writes to Markdown, YAML, and JSON files in your Git repository. The admin UI is a React single-page application served at /admin, configured entirely through a config.yml file that describes your content collections, fields, and backend settings. When an editor saves content, Decap CMS commits the change directly to your repository via the configured Git backend.

The project started life as Netlify CMS in 2016, created by Netlify to fill the gap between the simplicity of static site generators and the editorial usability that content teams expected. For years it was the de facto standard for Git-based content management, widely adopted across Hugo, Jekyll, Gatsby, and Eleventy sites. In February 2023, Netlify transferred ownership to the open-source community under the organisation decaporg, rebranding it as Decap CMS. The code and config format are unchanged, but stewardship shifted from a well-funded SaaS company to a smaller community effort led primarily by PM TechHub, a Slovenian agency.

Today, Decap CMS sits in an interesting position. It remains the most battle-tested Git-based CMS with the broadest backend support (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, Gitea) and an established integration surface across the static site ecosystem. The trade-off is visible: the editorial UI has not kept pace with newer tools, the YAML configuration system shows its age on complex projects, and the post-rebrand development pace is slower than competitors like Keystatic or TinaCMS. For teams that need a proven, zero-cost, infrastructure-free CMS with no vendor dependency, it still earns its place.

Key Features

• Git-native storage: Content is Markdown, YAML, and JSON committed directly to your repository, no database or external service required
• YAML configuration: A single config.yml file defines all collections, field types, backends, and media settings
• Multiple Git backends: Native support for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, and Gitea, plus the Git Gateway proxy for teams without direct repository access
• Editorial workflow: A beta draft/review/ready workflow that uses Git branches to stage content before publication, intended for teams that need a review step before publishing
• Media library integrations: Default local storage in the repo, plus integrations with Cloudinary and Uploadcare to offload asset hosting to a CDN
• Netlify Identity support: Netlify's Identity service allows editors to log in without needing a Git host account, lowering the barrier for non-technical teams hosted on Netlify
• Custom widgets: An extension API for registering custom field types when the built-in widgets do not cover a specific content need
• Framework-agnostic: Works with Hugo, Jekyll, Eleventy, Astro, Gatsby, and any static site generator that stores content as files

Pricing

Decap CMS is free in every meaningful sense. The MIT license places no restrictions on use, commercial or otherwise. There are no paid tiers, no editorial seat limits, and no feature gating. The admin UI is a static bundle you add to your /public directory. You host it on the same infrastructure as your site.

The only costs are infrastructure you are likely already paying for: your Git host (GitHub free tier is sufficient for most projects) and your static host (Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages). If you use Netlify Identity for editor authentication, it falls within Netlify's free tier for teams with under five users. If you choose the Git Gateway backend without Netlify, you need to self-host the gateway server or configure OAuth directly against your Git provider, which is free but requires some setup.

For teams already on Netlify, the combination of Decap CMS plus Netlify Identity is genuinely zero incremental cost for a complete editorial setup.

Our Experience

We have been using this CMS since the Netlify CMS era, and it earned our trust on a range of projects before the 2023 rebrand. For a content structure like a blog, a documentation site, or a marketing site with a modest number of fields, the YAML config comes together quickly and the editorial interface is straightforward. The reliability of the Git-based model, no SaaS dependency, no database outages, no pricing changes that break project budgets, was a real advantage on client projects where long-term maintenance predictability mattered.

The friction we have consistently encountered is with config.yml at scale. Once a content model grows beyond a handful of collections with complex nested structures or multiple related types, the YAML starts to feel unwieldy. There is no TypeScript config, no code editor autocompletion, and no type-checking on the schema. Mistakes produce runtime errors in the admin UI rather than build-time feedback. We have also run into the limitations of the editorial workflow feature on projects where non-technical clients needed a reliable draft-and-review cycle: the branch-based workflow is marked as beta for a reason.

When Lucky Media Recommends Decap CMS

We reach for Decap CMS when:

• The project uses Hugo, Jekyll, or Eleventy, where Decap CMS has the most mature integration path
• The team needs to connect to GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps, or Gitea (backends that Keystatic does not support)
• Absolute zero cost is a hard constraint and the team is already on Netlify (Identity + Git Gateway is the fastest zero-cost editorial setup)
• Content editors are non-technical and will authenticate via Netlify Identity, avoiding any Git host account requirement
• The content model is relatively straightforward: a blog, a simple marketing site, or a documentation site without complex relationships
• The team is already familiar with YAML-based configuration and has existing Netlify CMS projects to maintain

We would suggest alternatives when:

• The project is on Astro or Next.js and developer experience matters: Keystatic offers a substantially better DX for those frameworks
• The content model is complex, with nested blocks, rich relational references, or component-based content structures
• Editorial workflows with reliable draft, review, and scheduling are a firm requirement
• The team needs TypeScript-native schema definition with editor autocompletion and build-time type safety
• Multi-locale content management is required
• The team values a rapidly evolving platform with active feature development rather than a stable but slower-moving one

faq

What is Decap CMS?

Decap CMS is an open-source, Git-based content management system originally built by Netlify. It provides a browser-based admin interface at /admin that lets editors create and update content stored as Markdown, YAML, or JSON files in a Git repository, without needing to touch the command line. It was called Netlify CMS from its launch in 2016 until February 2023, when Netlify handed the project to the community and it was renamed Decap CMS under the decaporg GitHub organisation. The core concept is the same as it has always been: your content lives in your Git repo, changes are commits, and the CMS is a UI layer on top of your existing version control workflow.

Is Decap CMS free?

Yes, fully. Decap CMS is MIT-licensed open-source software with no paid tiers and no SaaS pricing. The admin UI is a static bundle you host yourself alongside your site. The only costs are the infrastructure you are already paying for: your static host (Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, or any other) and your Git host (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket). If you use Netlify Identity for editor authentication, that falls within Netlify's free tier for small teams. There is no usage cap, no editorial seat licensing, and no enterprise tier.

What is the difference between Decap CMS and Netlify CMS?

They are the same project with different names. Netlify CMS was created by Netlify in 2016 as an open-source Git-based CMS for static sites. In February 2023, Netlify transferred the project to a community organisation called decaporg and rebranded it as Decap CMS. The npm package changed from netlify-cms to decap-cms, the GitHub repository moved to github.com/decaporg/decap-cms, and the website moved to decapcms.org. The codebase, config format, and feature set are the same. If you have an existing Netlify CMS installation, migration to Decap CMS is a package rename and a URL update.

What is the difference between Decap CMS and Payload CMS?

They solve different problems at different levels of the stack. Decap CMS is a lightweight editorial UI for Git-based content: no database, no server, no delivery API, just a browser-based interface on top of files in a repository. It is best suited for static sites and Jamstack projects where content lives as files. Payload CMS is a full-stack, self-hosted headless CMS with a Node.js and MongoDB or PostgreSQL backend, a REST and GraphQL delivery API, TypeScript-native schema definition, and access control at the collection and field level. Payload is the right choice when you need a backend, a delivery API, complex relationships, or role-based permissions. Decap CMS is the right choice when you want zero backend infrastructure and Git-native content storage.

How does Decap CMS compare to Keystatic and TinaCMS?

All three are Git-based, but they differ meaningfully in maturity, developer experience, and momentum. Decap CMS is the most established (~18k GitHub stars, nearly a decade in production) and integrates with the widest range of Git backends and static site generators. Keystatic (built by Thinkmill) is newer but offers TypeScript-native schema definition, a cleaner Astro and Next.js integration, and a more actively developed codebase. TinaCMS offers visual in-context editing that neither Decap CMS nor Keystatic provides, and has a hosted cloud option with branch-based workflows. In practice: choose Decap CMS if you are on Hugo or Jekyll and want a proven zero-cost solution. Choose Keystatic if you are on Astro or Next.js and developer experience is a priority. Choose TinaCMS if visual editing for content editors is a firm requirement.