Self-host CouchCMS
v2.4Designer-friendly CMS that adds editing to static HTML sites
- Stars
- 378
- Requires
- Apache, MySQL
What is CouchCMS?
CouchCMS is a lightweight content management system aimed at web designers and front-end developers. It works by embedding special XHTML tags into existing HTML/CSS templates, turning static pages into editable content without requiring PHP knowledge. The CMS provides features such as editable regions, cloned pages for blogs and portfolios, comment moderation, SEO-friendly URLs, auto-validating forms with Google Maps integration, events calendar, search functionality, RSS feeds, custom 404 pages, PayPal integration for digital goods, and URL cloaking for file downloads. It runs on PHP 5.0+ and MySQL 4.1.2+ with Apache or compatible web servers (IIS is not supported). The software is licensed under CPAL-1.0 (Common Public Attribution License 1.0) with an optional commercial license for white-labeling and premium support. Installation involves uploading files via FTP, configuring database settings in a PHP config file, and running an installer. The admin panel is customizable and can be rebranded with a commercial license.
Should you self-host CouchCMS?
CouchCMS scores 46/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #35 of 42 in Content Management. It has 378 GitHub stars.
There was no stable release in the past 12 months, so check the repository's recent activity before you rely on it.
Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. It is CPAL-1.0-licensed and written mostly in PHP.
Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is Ghost (83/100, 55 629 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See CouchCMS vs Ghost side by side.
Features
- Auto-validating Forms
- Cloned Pages
- Comment system
- Custom Error Pages
- Editable Regions
- Events calendar
- Multi-language Admin
- Page caching
- PayPal Integration
- RSS Feeds
- Search
- SEO-friendly URLs
- URL Cloaking
- White-labelingRequires paid commercial license
CouchCMS README
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