# Kirby

File-based PHP content management system that stores content in text files and ships a browser-based admin Panel.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/kirby/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Updated: 2026-10-25
Listed since: 2026-10-18

## Record

### Links

- home: https://getkirby.com
- repository: https://github.com/getkirby/kirby
- docs: https://getkirby.com/docs
- pricing: https://getkirby.com/buy
- plugins: https://plugins.getkirby.com/
- bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/getkirby.com
- mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@getkirby
- discord: https://chat.getkirby.com
- forum: https://forum.getkirby.com

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG
- maintainerType: company
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: unknown
- hqCountry: DE

### Kind

- category: cms
- hosting: php
- language: php
- runtime: php
- runtimeMin: php 8.2
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: flat-file
- databases: unknown
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: rest
- templating: php
- i18n: yes, built in, enabled in config

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: per-request
- renderingModes: server
- installMethod: zip download, composer create-project getkirby/starterkit, kirby cli, git clone, herd

### License

- licenseModel: source-available
- license: proprietary

### Releases

- currentMajor: 5
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-06

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 1536
- packagistDownloads: 680567
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 78
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: 41918
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: 378
- dependentPackages: 223

### Sources

- name: https://getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/getkirby/kirby (read 2026-10-18)
- urls: https://packagist.org/packages/getkirby/cms.json (read 2026-10-18)
- urls: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart (read 2026-10-18)
- maintainer: https://getkirby.com/contact (read 2026-10-18)
- maintainerType: https://getkirby.com/contact (read 2026-10-18)
- hqCountry: https://getkirby.com/contact (read 2026-10-18)
- wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q56297856 (read 2026-10-18)
- category: https://getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- language: https://getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- runtime: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart (read 2026-10-18)
- runtimeMin: https://repo.packagist.org/p2/getkirby/cms.json (read 2026-10-18)
- runtimeMin: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart#requirements (read 2026-10-18)
- contentStore: https://getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- adminUi: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/api/introduction (read 2026-10-18)
- headlessApi: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/api/introduction (read 2026-10-18)
- headlessApi: https://getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- templating: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/templates/basics (read 2026-10-18)
- i18n: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/languages/introduction (read 2026-10-18)
- renderingModes: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/templates/basics (read 2026-10-18)
- installMethod: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart (read 2026-10-18)
- license: https://packagist.org/packages/getkirby/cms.json (read 2026-10-18)
- licenseModel: https://getkirby.com/license (read 2026-10-18)
- urls: https://getkirby.com/buy (read 2026-10-18)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/getkirby/kirby/releases/latest (read 2026-10-18)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/getkirby/kirby/releases/latest (read 2026-10-18)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/getkirby/kirby (read 2026-10-18)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/getkirby/kirby/contributors (read 2026-10-18)
- packagistDownloads: https://packagist.org/packages/getkirby/cms.json (read 2026-10-18)
- urls: https://plugins.getkirby.com/ (read 2026-10-18)
- runsAs: https://getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart (read 2026-10-19)
- dependentRepos: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/packagist.org/packages/getkirby%2Fcms (read 2026-10-25)
- dependentPackages: https://packages.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/registries/packagist.org/packages/getkirby%2Fcms (read 2026-10-25)
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: https://packagist.org/packages/getkirby/cms/stats.json (read 2026-10-25)

## Notes

Kirby is a PHP content management system that keeps page content in plain text files, so no database is required. Editors work in the Panel, a browser admin built with Vue. Templates are PHP files that render pages from the content. Multiple languages are enabled in the site configuration. The Panel talks to the PHP backend through a REST API, and the project supports headless use. Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG in Germany develops Kirby.

Apache works out of the box. Nginx and Caddy need configuration, and the content, site and kirby folders must not be reachable from the web.

## Worth knowing

Kirby is source-available rather than open source. The license is free for local development and client previews, and each production site needs a paid license.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0