Hybrid publishing suite v1.25.1 OpenGate 100% Free & Open Source ยท GPL-3.0

Publishing suite for owned websites.

VonCMS is built for publishers, from personal blogs to high-traffic news portals. It pairs a React 19 frontend with a PHP REST API backend for SEO, ad compatibility, fast publishing, and single-deploy hosting without Node.js in production.

Download Deploy ZIP View live demo
PHP + MySQL
Shared-hosting runtime
React 19
Editorial frontend
PHP REST
API backend
VonCMS owl mascot mark
Shared hosting React 19 frontend PHP REST API Fast publishing Native SEO output Ad compatibility News portal ready Single deploy Shared hosting React 19 frontend PHP REST API Fast publishing Native SEO output Ad compatibility News portal ready Single deploy
Product

Built for publishers who own the stack.

VonCMS keeps normal hosting simple while giving publishers a serious editorial surface. Runtime sites install from a release ZIP, while source users can fork, customize, build, test, and package their own release.

public theme preview

VonCMS TechPress public site preview
Public themesDefault, TechPress, Digest, Portfolio, Prism, and Corporate Pro.
SEO outputServer-rendered metadata, sitemap, feeds, JSON-LD, canonical URLs, and social cards.
Owned runtimeStandard PHP and MySQL deployment on Apache or LiteSpeed hosting.
Who is this for?

One publishing suite, two practical paths.

VonCMS is shaped for people who need to publish quickly on normal hosting, and for teams that want source-level control without turning production into a Node.js deployment.

Bloggers & small media

Lightweight publishing without the plugin burden.

Start from the Deploy ZIP, run on PHP and MySQL hosting, publish posts and pages, keep SEO output native, and stay compatible with common ad placements.

  • Fast editorial workflow
  • Bundled public themes
  • No Node.js needed in production
Agencies & developers

React 19 and PHP REST control from source.

Fork the source when the project needs custom themes, plugins, API changes, release packaging, or a publishing stack that can be inspected and modified end to end.

  • React 19 editorial frontend
  • PHP REST API backend
  • Source-level customization
Architecture

React dashboard, PHP backend, normal hosting.

The source build uses modern frontend tooling, but production ships as a single deployable runtime for ordinary PHP hosting.

01 React 19 Dashboard

Editorial UI for posts, media, themes, plugins, users, settings, and maintenance tools.

02 PHP REST API

Runtime backend for auth, content, metadata, imports, settings, and repair flows.

03 MySQL + Public Themes

Owned database, crawler-facing output, SEO files, ad-ready templates, and built assets.

admin / editor

VonCMS editor interface with writing and SEO controls
Publishing workflow

Write, manage, optimize, and publish from one dashboard.

The React admin dashboard covers posts, pages, drafts, scheduled publishing, rich editing, media tools, settings, users, comments, contact forms, newsletters, audit logs, and repair tools.

TipTap editorRich authoring surface for posts, pages, excerpts, metadata, keywords, and responsive images.
Media managerUpload, organize, select, and reuse media inside the publishing flow.
Admin toolsUsers, roles, comments, settings, forms, newsletters, logs, and database utilities.
Repair flowOperational tools for routing, upgrades, and production maintenance.
Included baseline

Core publishing features without a plugin pile.

The important site features ship as part of the baseline so a normal publishing site does not start life as a dependency maze.

01

Content

Posts, pages, drafts, scheduled publishing, categories, excerpts, metadata, keywords, quick edit, and responsive images.

02

Public Site

Bundled themes, menus, profiles, category views, search, comments, feeds, sitemap, robots output, and llms.txt.

03

Extensions

Built-in SEO, analytics, gift widget, related posts, promo bar, and AI summary plugins with activation controls.

04

Developer Surface

Theme registry, plugin registration, PHP APIs, smoke tests, release packaging, source docs, and GPL-3.0-only licensing.

Positioning

A practical middle path between legacy CMS and headless publishing sprawl.

Traditional CMS stacks can become slow and plugin-heavy. Headless stacks often add build pipelines, paid hosting assumptions, and too many moving parts. VonCMS keeps the runtime ordinary and the source customizable.

Area Common trade-off VonCMS baseline
Hosting Plugin stack or hosted platform dependency PHP and MySQL on standard hosting
Admin Legacy screens or external content APIs Compiled React 19 dashboard
SEO Extra plugin setup or frontend-only metadata Server-rendered public metadata and crawler files
Customization Marketplace lock-in or full stack rebuild Theme, plugin, PHP API, and source-level extension points
Production Build tools required on the server Deploy ZIP install, no Node required for runtime hosting
Choose your path

Install a site or build from source.

VonCMS separates runtime users from source users. Site owners start with the Deploy ZIP. Developers fork or clone the repository when they want to study, customize, contribute, or package.

Runtime site owners

Use this path for normal shared-hosting installs.

  • Download the Deploy ZIP from releases.
  • Extract into the hosting web root.
  • Create a MySQL database.
  • Open `/install`, create admin, then publish.
Developers and agencies

Use this path for code, themes, plugins, APIs, and release work.

  • Fork or clone the repository.
  • Install Node dependencies for source work.
  • Run typecheck and build while editing.
  • Use docs for themes, plugins, routing, and security.
Themes and extensions

Presentation and optional behavior stay close to the product.

Bundled themes give fresh installs a real public shape. Extensions add optional behavior without turning the site into a plugin marketplace dependency.

TechPress theme preview
TechPressNews and magazine publishing preview.
VonCMS extension manager preview
ExtensionsActivation controls for built-in optional features.
VonCMS owl mascot mark
Von OwlMascot direction for publishing, ownership, and source-level focus.
Install

Upload the Deploy ZIP and finish the browser installer.

Production hosting does not need Node.js, Vite, npm, or a separate frontend server. Source development does.

runtime install

# Requirements
PHP 8.2+ / MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+ / Apache or LiteSpeed

# Download
VonCMS_v1.25.1_Deploy.zip

# Upload and install
extract into public_html/
open https://yourdomain.com/install

# Finish
connect database
create admin account
publish or import content
Developer surface

Open-source workflow for real customization.

Fork the source when you want custom themes, plugins, extensions, PHP API changes, installer work, routing work, or release packaging.

ThemeTheme registryBundled theme implementations live under the source theme system.
PluginPlugin registrationBuilt-in plugin code supports optional behavior with activation controls.
RuntimePHP APIsAuthentication, settings, posts, media, comments, analytics, imports, and repair tools.
ReleasePackaging checksTypecheck, formatting, BOM cleanup, build, smoke tests, PHP lint, and release ZIP creation.
Walkthrough

See the product in motion.

Watch the VonCMS walkthrough and product baseline overview.

VonCMS walkthrough video thumbnail Watch walkthrough
Get started

Build on a publishing suite you can host, inspect, and modify.

Download the runtime ZIP for a site install, or open the repository when you want source-level customization.

Download VonCMS View source

Latest stable: v1.25.1 OpenGate - PHP 8.2+ - MySQL - Apache or LiteSpeed