Cradle CMS
All-in-one software with backend, frontend server, admin UI, and REST API for managing your web projects.
- Unlimited sites, domains and admin users
- RTE, MD and HTML editing on pages and blogs
- Multi language, geo-targeting and geo-location
- Sqlite3, Postgres or CockroachDB database
- Native / shared filesystem or S3 file storage, caching
Introducing Cradle CMS
Everything you need to publish
Get away from plugins and SaaS lock-ins,
all-in-one self-hosted solution for creating, managing, and optimizing web publishing efficiently in a fast admin UI.
Run it on-premises or in the cloud, from a single board computer to a fully distributed system.
Content management
Content editors
Built-in Rich Text Editor, Markdown and raw HTML markup. Pick whichever suits the content you're writing.
Multi-language
Set up multiple languages for your content and translate in admin. Each domain you add carries its own language preference.
Form builder
Create web forms easily. Submissions are filtered and validated, readable in the admin, and optionally forwarded by email.
URL routing
Routes are configurable and translatable in the admin, giving you full flexibility when linking content across languages.
Navigation editor
Create links to all your content, typically a menu in a tree structure and link collections to footer navigation.
Feeds & blogroll
Every blog generates an Atom + RSS feed and a blogroll, so readers can subscribe to your content however they prefer.
Themes & rendering
Theme settings
Change colors, upload images and much more through a dedicated settings editor. The options are configurable in theme code.
Code editor
A fast built-in editor for theme files with a file browser, syntax validation and error reporting.
SSR + CSR rendering
Industry proven server side templating language. For client side rendering just include and use your favourite framework.
Infrastructure
Flexible databases
SQLite3, PostgreSQL or CockroachDB. Use SQLite on a single-board computer; Postgres or CockroachDB for a distributed solution.
Storage options
Store files on the native file system (local or shared disk) or in S3-compatible object storage.
Automatic HTTPS
Let's Encrypt and other ACME-compliant certificate providers, renewed automatically.
Proxy support
Load balance frontends with the proxy protocol, or whitelist trusted proxy headers when it isn't available.
Structured logs
JSON logs streamed over the message bus make every event easy to store, filter and monitor.
Central config
Configuration lives in TOML, distributed via the message bus. Extend with Docker secrets and environment variables.
Platform & API
REST API
A comprehensive API fully utilized by our own admin. Build integrations with plugins scoped to specific read/write permissions.
Built-in docs
API documentation ships inside the system, including Swagger definitions for generating API clients.
SEO tooling
Dynamic sitemaps for search visibility, IndexNow compability, and a configurable robots.txt controls crawler scope.
Unlimited sites
Create as many sites as you like, with separate site admins accessed via user invites. No limits on domains, capacity or performance.
Outgoing email
Sends mail through any standard SMTP service — used for account invites and password recovery.
Efficient, reliable and scalable
Our core goals was a system simple to set up, and that runs efficiently on a single board computer, yet scales into a fully distributed architecture when you need it.
Cradle CMS supports SQLite, PostgreSQL and CockroachDB with native file storage or S3 object storage.
Technical specs
What's included
Backend, frontend server and admin UI with REST API. Built-in content models for blogs, articles and pages. Fully customizable site themes using Liquid, HTML, CSS and JS.
Installation
Installs with Podman or Docker on a Linux server.
Read the installation guide
Requirements
Linux server (ARM or AMD 64-bit): Minimum 1 CPU, 512MB RAM, 3GB storage (storage can be a mix of local/shared disk or on S3 compatible storage)
Compatibility
Linux servers, ARM or AMD 64-bit architectures.
Licensing
Perpetual single organisation license including 12-months of support and upgrades. After a year, the software will continue to work as before and you can opt in to upgrade later. Support is through email where you can expect answers within 24 hours on working days (mon-fri). Support is intended to give advise on product configuration, error reporting, server requirements and integrations.
FAQ
Do you use a central DRM or monitoring system when running your software?
No, we believe that users should be treated with respect and trust. Our software contains no license authorization or other forms of active DRM measures.
How much does the upgrades cost?
If you renew your licence within year one from purchase you get a 60% discount on list price, year two 40% and year three 20%.
Where can I find the License Agreement?
Our EULA (End User Licence Agreement) can be found here.
Are refunds possible?
Yes, we have a 14-days, no questions asked, refund policy!
Is this a multi-user license?
Yes, although the licence is a single-organisation licence, but the amount of users and sites are without limitation.
Is there a student discount?
Yes, we like to support students. Send us an email at hi@cradlecms.com to request a licence for Cradle CMS.
Is it possible to crossgrade CMS to eCommerce?
Yes, you need to install the eCommerce platform and do some post install setup for it to work.
Do you have customer support?
Yes, just send us an email at support@cradlecms.com, answers are typically given within 24 hours on working days. Support is intended to give advise on product configuration, error reporting, server requirements and integrations.