Cockpit

Simple content platform to manage any structured content

Headless CMSSelf-HostedAPI-FirstGraphQLOpen SourcePHPContent PlatformMIT License

Overview

Cockpit is a self-hosted, open-source headless CMS built with PHP that provides
a lightweight backend for managing structured content. It offers both REST and
GraphQL APIs, making it ideal for developers building websites, mobile apps, or
SPAs with any frontend framework. Cockpit supports SQLite (default) or MongoDB
for data storage, features flexible content modeling, asset management with an
Image API, localization, roles and permissions, and content revisions. The MIT-licensed
core is free forever, while Pro addons add AI content generation, full-text search,
environment sync, webhooks, visual page building, and audience personalization.

License

MIT

Best for:

Small projectsPrototypesSimple APIsPHP environments

Features

REST API
GraphQL API
Collections
Singletons
Assets
Webhooks

Pricing

Free TierYes
Free LimitUnlimited, open source
0
Self-hostedYes

Compatible Technologies

Frameworks
Databases
SQLiteSQLite
MongoDBMongoDB

Technical Features

GraphQL API
REST API
Webhooks
Headless
Visual Editor
Live Preview
Media Library
Image Optimization
CDN Included
i18n
Version History
Drafts
Role-Based Access
Multi-Tenant
Audit Logs
TypeScript
Official SDK
CLI Tool
Plugin Ecosystem
SSO / OAuth
CI/CD Integration
Caching
Edge Deployment
Auto Scaling

Community

639

GitHub Stars

2026-02-05

Last Update

Enterprise Features

Scalability

Horizontal scaling and high-availability deployments

99.9% Uptime SLA

Enterprise-grade reliability and uptime guarantees

Security & Compliance

Cockpit is a self-hosted, open-source headless CMS written in PHP. It

provides a lightweight admin panel for managing structured content via

collections, singletons, and tree structures, then exposes that content

through both REST and GraphQL APIs. It runs on SQLite by default or

MongoDB, with no external dependencies beyond PHP.

Key Highlights

- REST and GraphQL APIs out of the box

- Runs on SQLite with zero extra infrastructure

- MIT-licensed with full source access and customization

Why It Fits Jamstack Workflows

- API-first content delivery via REST or GraphQL lets any static site generator or frontend framework fetch structured content at build time

- Webhook addon triggers external build pipelines on content publish, enabling automated deploys to any static host or CDN

Typical Implementations

- Lightweight marketing sites

- Mobile app content backends

- Multi-language project websites

- Single-page applications with dynamic content

Setup Snapshot

Hosting: "Self-hosted — PHP server with Apache or Nginx"

Content: "Collections, singletons, and trees with custom field types"

Delivery: "REST and GraphQL APIs with token-based authentication"

Notes

- Requires PHP 8.3+ with PDO and GD extensions; uses SQLite by default, MongoDB optional

- Webhooks, layout builder, localization, and full-text search are available as Pro addons