Top Git-based CMSs to Consider in 2023 and Beyond

The Git-based CMS approach has gained superiority over other CMS approaches. Due to its ability to streamline content creation, editing, and collaboration while harnessing the power of git version control.

In this blog post, we'll explore the top Git-based CMSs that will continue to shine in 2023 and beyond. These CMSs are selected based on their popularity, capabilities, usability, performance, and ease of use.

Decap CMS (Formerly Netlify CMS)

Decap CMS is a Git-based open-source CMS built as a single-page React app. Built on top of the open-source JAMstack framework, Decap provides better performance, flexibility, security, and scalability.

With content stored in your Git repository, you can leverage the full potential of version control, multi-channel publishing, and the ability to update content directly in Git.

It provides a user-friendly UI and intuitive workflow to easily edit content, manage users, and build custom features. You can use it with any Static Site Generator.

Key Features of Decap CMS:

• Editor-friendly UI: It provides a fast, web-based editing UI with rich-text editing, real-time preview, and drag-and-drop media uploads.
• Flexible content types: You can specify an unlimited number of content types with custom fields.
• Platform agnostic: Works with most static site generators like Gatsby, Hugo, Jekyll, Nextjs, Nuxt, Gridsom, etc.
• Authentication: Provides modern authentication support using: GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket and JSON web tokens.
• Fully extensible and Plugin Support: Allows creation of custom-styled previews, UI widgets, and editor plugins or adds backends to support different Git platform APIs.

Website: Decap CMS

CloudCannon

CloudCannon is another git-powered cloud content management system (CMS) and hosting platform that is purpose-built for static websites.

With CloudCannon, your team gets a unified workflow. Developers have full control over their code and can push changes directly to Git. Editors benefit from an intuitive editing interface and can build pages visually using custom components.

Key Features of CloudCannon:

• Visual Editor: CloudCannon's content management interface is a breeze to use, catering to both tech-savvy users and novices alike.
• Customizable and Collaborative Workflow: Create custom approval workflows based on your team's demands. 
• Collaboration Tools: Offers robust collaboration tools, allowing multiple team members to work together on a project simultaneously.
• Cloud Hosting: Cloud Cannon offers blazing-fast, reliable, and secure hosting.
• Integrations:  Integrate with all major static site generators, allowing developers to use their preferred tools.

Website: CloudCannon

Publii

A free, open-source, and desktop-based static site CMS. The aim of Publii is to make website creation effortless and accessible to individuals of all skill levels. Publii comes with a robust publishing platform and a privacy-focused approach.

Users can easily publish their sites, update content, and focus on creating a compelling online presence without distraction. It eliminates the common complexities associated with other CMS platforms. Unquestionably, it's an excellent choice for anyone looking to create a website that's fast, secure, and easy to manage.

Key Features of Publii:

• Beginner-friendly CMS: Publii is designed to provide users with a super simple way to create and manage a blog, portfolio, or documentation website.
• Intuitive Editing Experience: Provides three different editors to meet your specific needs: block editor, WYSIWYG Editor, and Markdown Editor.
• Built-in SEO Tools: Publii comes with SEO optimization tools that help you boost your website's search engine ranking.
• Themes and Customization: Publii offers a variety of themes that users can select and customize based on their needs.
• Plugin Support:A range of third-party plugins are available to enhance the features and capabilities of websites.

Website: Publii

Tina CMS

Tina CMS is an open-source  Git-based content management system and editing toolkit for React-based websites.

TinaCMS stands out as a lightweight and user-friendly CMS that empowers developers and content creators to collaborate smoothly on their websites.

It allows developers to create a personalized visual editing experience that is suitable for their website or application while also supporting various content types such as Markdown, MDX, and JSON.

Key Features of Tina CMS:

• Version Control: The Git integration in TinaCMS ensures that content changes are tracked and managed easily. Content changes are committed directly to the git repository, so users can easily roll back changes and collaborate on projects.
• Real-time visual editing: Tina's real-time visual editor takes a unique approach to content editing. In-context editing, customizable content blocks, and real-time previews make the editing process more intuitive and interactive.
• GraphQL API: TinaCMS generates a GraphQL API to manage and deliver content.
• Control over content: Tina's open-source model provides users with full control and ownership of their content. Tina's self-hosted backend and open-source nature offer the advantage of avoiding vendor lock-in.
• Scalability and Performance: Tina is suitable for large-scale projects, ensuring optimal performance regardless of the size of your site, whether it has hundreds or tens of thousands of pages.

Website: TinaCMS

CrafterCMS

CrafterCMS is an open-source, Java-based CMS to build dynamic,  ultra-secure, and high-performance websites and apps.

This CMS is designed with an innovative and forward-thinking approach. By leveraging the API-first Approach with the capabilities of Git, it allows for streamlined DevContentOps processes.

Developers, content creators, and Ops can work collaboratively and deliver modern sites and apps more quickly and easily than ever.

Key Features of CrafterCMS:

• Integration Capabilities: It supports multiple programming languages and frameworks. As well as, it can be easily integrated with various third-party services, whether it's e-commerce, analytics, or other essential tools.
• Content Authoring: CrafterCMS offers drag-and-drop tools for defining rich content models. It also provides a user-friendly authoring and preview experience for content authors.
• Hybrid Approach: CrafterCMS is often described as a hybrid-headless content management system (CMS) due to its unique architectural approach that combines elements of both traditional and headless CMS systems.
• Powerful APIs: Provides a set of robust APIs supporting various use cases.  You can extend the CrafterCMS's native APIs, build your own APIs, or shape API responses to match your application requirements.
• Elastic Scalability: The platform is designed to handle high volumes of traffic and large content databases. CrafterCMS's elastic, shared-nothing content delivery architecture allows for a high degree of scalability.

Website: CrafterCMS

Contentrain

Contentrain is a feature-rich Git-based Headless CMS for building Jamstack apps and websites. Though it is relatively new in the headless CMS industry, it ensures all the advantages you will ever need for top-notch content management.

Contentrain offers a user-friendly interface with a wide range of design and editing tools, as well as a strong API for developers. API-first nature allows developers to use their favorite SSG frameworks, tools, and other third-party services.

With Contentrain Headless CMS, you'll get the perfect balance of flexibility, scalability, and ease of use, making it an ideal choice for agencies, startups, freelancers, and corporates.

Key Features of Contentrain:

• Version Control and Real-time Collaboration: Offers a built-in version control system that automatically tracks any changes made to content and allows for easy roll-back.  This makes it easier to keep track of modifications and ensure that everyone is working on the same page.
• Content Modeling: An intuitive interface with comprehensive design and editing tools for designing content models. You can create content types tailored to your specific needs.
• Multi-Language and Localization: This CMS is i18n friendly, making it easy to serve a diverse audience for global businesses.
• User management: You can add unlimited members and define role-based access and permission for editors, managers, marketers, developers, etc.
• Updates and New Releases: Contentrain is continually evolving for new possibilities and redefining the field of Content Management.

Website: Contentrain

Spinal CMS

Spinal CMS is an open-source, Git-based CMS designed to be minimal and straightforward. Like other CMSs, it doesn't require too much setup and maintenance work. It makes Jamstack website management and content creation as intuitive and efficient as possible.

You can easily create, update, and schedule your static site content by connecting your GitHub repository. This also facilitates developers and designers to work on the site locally and push the update directly on Git-Repo.

Spinal is widely used by SaaS companies to streamline their content marketing endeavors.

Key Features of Spinal CMS:

• Intuitive Dashboard: You can create, edit, and schedule all your content in one place. With Spinal's Workflow feature, you can see what stage all your content is at. All the draft, QA, published, and scheduled content at a glance. It also provides a calendar view that gives you a bird's-eye view of all the content.
• WYSIWYG-editor: Features a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor with Markdown support. It is simple and lightweight, but powerful. Simplifying content creation with all the necessary tools.
• Support a wide range of Static Site generators: Works for the most popular Static Site Generators such as Astro, 11ty, Hugo, Jekyll,  Gatsby, etc.
• Team Collaboration: Spinal gives you many powerful ways to help you collaborate with your team. It allows members to leave notes and inline comments where it’s needed.
• Email notification for comments and published or scheduled content. Lock editing to avoid conflict when multiple people are working on the same content. There is also a roll-based access control feature.

Website: Spinal CMS

How to Choose the Best Git-Based CMSs for Your Next Project

With so many options available, it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you.  Here are some tips on how to choose the best right Git-based CMS for your project.

• Project Assessment: Start by assessing the project's specific requirements. what type of content do you need to manage? How often will you need to update your website? Are there any specific features that you need in order to make the most out of your website? Answering these types of questions will help narrow down your options and make it easier to choose the right CMS for your project.
• Evaluate Your Options: Once you’ve identified your needs, it’s time to evaluate the available options and determine which one is best suited. Consider factors such as underlying Programming Language and Framework, ease of use, customizability, scalability, performance, and cost, etc. Take your time to thoroughly research and evaluate your options.
• Get User Feedback and Reviews: Read user reviews and testimonials to gain insights into the experiences of other users. Look for common highlights and issues.
• Trial and Testing: Whenever possible, test the CMS for a small project or use a trial version to experience how it works in your specific context.

Recap

Git-based CMSs are a powerful solution for teams and individuals who prefer the advantages of version control and want to maintain content in a structured manner. The above-mentioned Top Git-based CMSs offer flexibility, efficiency, and collaboration features, making them suitable for various use cases.

Each has some unique features and capabilities. Hence, the "best Git-based CMS depends on your specific needs, your team's workflow, and the technology stack you are using. So, take a closer look at all the CMSs before selecting the final one. Additionally, the software landscape is ever-evolving, so I recommend checking for the latest information and reviews to make an informed decision.

Head up! If you need any help with your Next Git-based CMS project, the StaticMania developer team is ready to assist you. Get in touch to discuss it further. Contact Us Here!

Top Git-based CMSs in 2023 and beyond at a glance

• Decap CMS
• CloudCannon
• Publii
• Tina
• CrafterCMS
• Contentrain
• Spinal CMS