CondationCMS

July 23, 2026 · View on GitHub

CondationCMS is a fast, flexible, and developer-friendly content management system built with Java.

Content is stored in Markdown files with YAML front matter instead of a database. The file and directory structure remains transparent, easy to version with Git, and directly represents the structure of the website.

CondationCMS combines a powerful template system, a modular Java architecture, JavaScript extensions, multisite support, and an integrated management application for editors.

Features

  • File-based content — Manage content as Markdown files with YAML front matter
  • Developer-friendly architecture — Extend the system using Java modules or JavaScript extensions
  • Powerful template system — Build dynamic websites using templates, components, filters, functions, and custom tags
  • Manager application — Create and edit content through a browser-based interface
  • Multisite support — Run multiple independent websites on one server
  • Multilingual websites — Build and manage sites in multiple languages
  • Hooks and events — Customize processing and react to CMS lifecycle events
  • Integrated search and indexing — Query and organize content efficiently
  • Media processing — Manage and transform images and other media assets
  • Git-friendly workflow — Version, review, and deploy content using standard Git workflows
  • Integrated caching — Optimized content and template processing for fast page delivery

Getting started

Getting CondationCMS running locally only requires a few steps.

1. Configure the Manager

Create an .env file in the root directory of the server installation.

Add a strong, randomly generated secret:

CMS_UI_SECRET=<your-random-secret>

For example:

CMS_UI_SECRET=xnK82mcK7I9s_K3j-L8vK9L2m_N3o_P4q_R5s_T6u_V7w_X8y_Z9a_B0c_D1e

The secret is used to secure the Manager application and should be unique for every installation.

2. Create a Manager user

Create a user with access to the Manager application:

./server.sh server add_user \
  -r=manager-users \
  -ro=manager \
  <username> \
  <password> \
  <email>

Replace <username>, <password>, and <email> with the account details you want to use.

3. Install the modules

The demo setup depends on additional modules. Install all available modules with:

./server.sh module get-all

You can skip this step when using a custom setup that does not require the demo modules.

4. Start the server

Start CondationCMS:

./server.sh server start

Once the server has started, open the website in your browser:

http://localhost:2020

The Manager login is available at:

http://localhost:2020/manager/login

Sign in with the Manager user created in the previous step.

Documentation

Detailed information about installing, configuring, using, and extending CondationCMS is available in the official CondationCMS documentation.

License

CondationCMS is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0.

Modules, plugins, themes, and extensions that use only the public and documented extension APIs may be distributed under a different license, including proprietary or commercial licenses.

See LICENSE-EXCEPTION.md for details.