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Cockpit
Content Platform
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About Cockpit

The Headless CMS That Adapts to You

Cockpit is a self-hosted, developer-friendly headless CMS that gives you complete control over your content infrastructure. Born from real-world agency needs in 2011, Cockpit has evolved into a powerful platform trusted by developers and organizations worldwide who value flexibility, ownership, and simplicity.

Why Developers Love Cockpit

Freedom Without Boundaries

Unlike traditional CMSs that force you into rigid structures, Cockpit adapts to your workflow. Create the exact content models your project needs - whether that's a simple blog, complex e-commerce catalog, or IoT dashboard.

Your Stack, Your Rules

As a true headless CMS, Cockpit works seamlessly with any technology:

  • Frontend: React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or vanilla JS
  • Mobile: React Native, Flutter, Swift, Kotlin
  • Static Sites: Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Hugo
  • Backend: Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Go

Lightning Fast APIs

Get your content through modern REST or GraphQL APIs with:

  • MongoDB queries for powerful filtering
  • Field selection to minimize payload
  • Automatic image optimization
  • Built-in caching for blazing performance

What Makes Cockpit Different

1. True Data Ownership

Your content lives on your servers, not someone else's cloud. This means:

  • Complete control over data privacy and security
  • No vendor lock-in or surprise price increases
  • Compliance with data residency requirements
  • Ability to run in air-gapped environments

2. Developer Experience First

We built Cockpit for developers who appreciate:

  • Clean, well-documented APIs
  • Minimal dependencies (just PHP and a database)
  • Extensible architecture with hooks and events
  • No build steps or complex toolchains

3. Flexible Content Modeling

Create content structures that match your mental model:

  • Collections: For repeatable content (posts, products, events)
  • Singletons: For unique content (settings, about pages)
  • Trees: For hierarchical content (navigation, categories)
  • 20+ Field Types: From simple text to complex relationships

4. Enterprise-Ready Features

While simple to start with, Cockpit scales with your needs:

  • Multi-language content with fallback support
  • User roles and granular permissions
  • API authentication with tokens
  • Webhooks for real-time integrations
  • Multi-tenant spaces for agencies

Real-World Use Cases

Content-Driven Websites

Power your marketing sites, blogs, and portfolios with dynamic content that editors love to manage.

Mobile Applications

Deliver content to iOS and Android apps through consistent APIs, with automatic image resizing for different screen sizes.

Digital Signage & IoT

Manage content for kiosks, displays, and smart devices from a central hub.

Multi-Brand Platforms

Run multiple sites from a single Cockpit instance using Spaces-perfect for agencies and enterprises.

Internal Tools

Build custom dashboards, knowledge bases, and data management tools on top of Cockpit's flexible foundation.

Built on Solid Foundations

Technology Stack

  • PHP 8.3+: Modern, performant, and widely supported
  • SQLite or MongoDB: Choose the database that fits your scale
  • Vue.js 3: Reactive, modern admin interface
  • No Framework Lock-in: Lightweight custom architecture

Open Source Heritage

Cockpit has been open source since day one:

  • MIT licensed for maximum freedom
  • Active community of contributors
  • Transparent development on GitHub
  • No hidden features behind paywalls in Core

Philosophy

Simplicity Over Complexity

We believe tools should solve problems, not create them. Cockpit gives you powerful features without overwhelming complexity.

Developer Empowerment

You know your project best. Cockpit provides the building blocks-you create the solution.

Community First

Built by developers, for developers. We listen to feedback and evolve based on real-world needs.

Getting Started

Ready to experience content management done right?

  1. Download Cockpit - Get running in under 5 minutes
  2. Read the Quickstart - Learn the basics
  3. Explore the API - Start building
  4. Join the Community - Get help and share knowledge

Cockpit Pro

Need advanced features? Cockpit Pro adds:

  • AI-powered content assistance
  • Advanced search with fuzzy matching
  • Cloud storage integrations
  • Visual layout builder
  • And much more...

Learn about Pro features