SveltyCMS

Documentation

SveltyCMS Documentation

Complete documentation for SveltyCMS - a powerful, modern Headless CMS built with SvelteKit and Svelte 5. Designed for both users and developers.

Last updated: 2/22/2026

SveltyCMS Documentation

Welcome to SveltyCMS - a powerful, modern Headless CMS built with SvelteKit and Svelte 5. Our documentation is designed with two clear goals:

🎯 Documentation Goals

👥 For Users: Understand Every Feature + Feel Confident About Security

  • Complete feature guides with security confidence
  • Built-in safety features explained
  • Best practices for secure content management

🛠️ For Developers: Understand How SveltyCMS Works

  • Deep dive into architecture and systems
  • Implementation patterns and best practices
  • Extension and customization guides

📚 Choose Your Path

👥 User Guide - Features & Security Confidence

Perfect for content creators, editors, and administrators who need to:

  • ✅ Use Features Safely - Complete guides with security best practices
  • ✅ Manage Content - Create, edit, and publish with confidence
  • ✅ Understand Security - Built-in protection features explained
  • ✅ Troubleshoot Issues - Safe solutions to common problems

Key Security Highlights:

  • 🛡️ Enterprise-grade authentication (JWT + OAuth)
  • 🔐 Role-based permissions and access control
  • 🔒 Encrypted data storage and transmission
  • 📊 Audit logging and activity tracking

🛠️ Developer Guide - How It Works

Essential for developers who need to understand:

  • ⚙️ System Architecture - How components work together
  • 🔧 Setup & Configuration - Automated CLI installer explained
  • 🧩 Extension Development - Building custom functionality
  • 📡 API Integration - REST and GraphQL implementation

Core Systems Explained:

  • 🚀 Automated setup via vite.config.ts
  • 🔐 JWT + OAuth authentication flow
  • 🏗️ SvelteKit + Svelte 5 architecture
  • 📊 Database abstraction and optimization

🏆 Competitive Awareness (SveltyCMS Advantage)

SveltyCMS is designed to outperform competitors like Payload CMS, Strapi, and Directus by leveraging Svelte 5’s no-runtime compilation and unique features.

Feature SveltyCMS Approach Why Better than Competitors
Core Tech SvelteKit + Svelte 5 (Runes) No VDOM/hydration tax vs. React-based (Payload, Strapi).
Cold Start <1s (Progressive, self-healing) Faster than 3s+ in Payload/Strapi; edge-ready.
i18n Paraglide (Compiled, zero-runtime) Type-safe, no runtime lookups vs. i18next in rivals.
Schemas Hybrid (Code + GUI, bi-directional) Flexible vs. code-only (Payload) or GUI-only (Strapi).
Multi-Tenancy Native (tenantId isolation) Core/free vs. enterprise-gated in Strapi/Contentful.
SCIM 2.0 Native endpoints (RFC 7644) Automated provisioning vs. manual/enterprise in others.
Audit Logs Crypto-chained (SHA-256) Compliance-ready vs. basic/manual in competitors.
Accessibility WCAG 2.2 AA / ATAG 2.0 Full support vs. partial in Payload/Strapi.

🚀 Quick Start

For Users (Content Management)

1. 🌐 Access your CMS URL
2. 🔑 Log in securely
3. 📝 Start creating content
4. 🛡️ Enjoy built-in security

For Developers (Technical Setup)

git clone https://github.com/SveltyCMS/SveltyCMS.git
cd SveltyCMS
bun install
bun run dev  # CLI installer launches automatically

🔧 Key Features & Security

  • 🎨 Modern Interface: Built with SvelteKit and Tailwind CSS
  • 🚀 Automated Setup: CLI installer handles all configuration
  • 🔐 Security First: JWT + OAuth with granular permissions
  • 📱 Responsive: Works seamlessly on all devices
  • 🌍 i18n Ready: Multi-language support built-in
  • ⚡ Performance: Optimized for speed and efficiency
  • 🔄 Reactive Content: Real-time updates with versioning
  • 🧩 Extensible: Custom widgets, themes, and plugins

📖 Essential Documentation

User Documentation (Security-Focused)

📚 Documentation Portal

🚀 Getting Started

📖 User Guides

💻 Developer Resources

🛠️ DevOps & Deployment

🏗️ System Architecture

SveltyCMS is built on a modern, headless architecture:

  • Frontend: SvelteKit (SSR + CSR)
  • Backend: Node.js / Bun
  • Database: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, or SQLite
  • Cache: Redis + In-Memory
  • Content: Reactive System (Versioning + Polling)
  • API: REST + GraphQL

For a deep dive, see the Architecture Documentation.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details on:

  • Code of Conduct
  • Development Workflow
  • Pull Request Process
  • Coding Standards

📄 License

SveltyCMS is open-source software licensed under the MIT License.

SveltyCMS • GitHub • Discord

📋 System Requirements

  • Browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (latest versions)
  • JavaScript: Required (security features depend on it)
  • Node.js: 24+ for development
  • Database: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, or SQLite (all production-ready)
  • Redis: Optional but recommended for caching

System Architecture (2026+)

Database-Driven Configuration

SveltyCMS uses a modern, database-driven approach for all configuration:

Dynamic Settings (Database)

  • ✅ 58 settings across 13 groups (General, Email, Security, Cache, etc.)
  • ✅ Real-time updates without server restart
  • ✅ Role-based access control
  • ✅ Admin GUI at /config/systemsetting
  • ✅ RESTful API: /api/settings/[group]

Static Config (Minimal)

  • Database connection strings
  • JWT secrets and encryption keys
  • OAuth client credentials
  • Environment-specific startup config

Import/Export System

Drupal CMS-inspired configuration management:

Export Configuration

POST /api/export/full
{
  "includeSettings": true,
  "includeCollections": false,
  "includeSensitive": false
}

Import Configuration

POST /api/import/full
{
  "data": { /* exported config */ },
  "options": {
    "strategy": "merge",  // skip | overwrite | merge
    "dryRun": true        // validate before applying
  }
}

Workflows Enabled

  • ✅ Staging → Production: Export from staging, import to production
  • ✅ Version Control: Store configs in git
  • ✅ Team Collaboration: Share configuration files
  • ✅ Backup & Restore: Daily automated backups
  • ✅ Environment-Specific: Dev/staging/prod configs

Cache System

Dual-layer caching for exceptional performance:

  • Layer 1 (Redis): Ultra-fast in-memory cache (~1ms reads)
  • Layer 2 (MongoDB): Persistent cache across restarts
  • 8 TTL Categories: Static, Dynamic, API, Query, Session, Widget, Computed, Media
  • Automatic Expiration: TTL-based with configurable values
  • UI Management: Configure via System Settings

See Cache System Documentation for details.

New to SveltyCMS? Start with Getting Started for users or Installation for developers.

documentationguideoverviewgetting-started