
Keystone
Node.js headless CMS and application framework that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema.
Keystone is a Node.js headless CMS and application framework that builds a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. Its database layer is Prisma, and Express serves the HTTP side as a long-running Node.js process. Custom REST endpoints can be added to the Express app, and the admin UI accepts custom React components. Thinkmill, a company based in Australia, maintains Keystone.
Worth knowing
Keystone renders no pages. Its outputs are the GraphQL API and the admin UI, so a website needs its own frontend. Production deploys run database migrations before the server starts, so the database has to be reachable at that point. The docs advise against SQLite in production.
Identity
Rendering and deploy
- Runs as
- Always on7
- Rendering
- No pages, API only1
- Install with
- npm create keystone-app@latest7
Releases
Adoption
Sources
- 2026-10-18: name, links, Maintained by, Headquarters, Categories, Runtime, Admin interface, Rendering
keystonejs.com/ - 2026-10-18: links, Written in, License, License model, GitHub stars
api.github.com/repos/keystonejs/keystone - 2026-10-20: Maintainer
github.com/keystonejs/keystone/blob/main/LICENSE - 2026-10-18: Built on, License, Current major version
registry.npmjs.org/@keystone-6/core/latest - 2026-10-18: Content storage, Databases
keystonejs.com/docs/guides/choosing-a-database - 2026-10-18: Content API
keystonejs.com/docs/config/config - 2026-10-18: Install with, Runs as
keystonejs.com/docs/getting-started - 2026-10-18: Last release
api.github.com/repos/keystonejs/keystone/releases/latest - 2026-10-18: Contributors
api.github.com/repos/keystonejs/keystone/contributors - 2026-10-18: npm downloads a week
api.npmjs.org/downloads/point/last-week/@keystone-6/core - 2026-10-25: Dependent repositories, Dependent packages
packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/npmjs.org/packages/%40keystone-6%2Fcore