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New to cms0? Start with the hosted, self-hosted, or app integration path.
Self-hostingOverview

Self-hosting means you run @cms0/admin yourself.

The admin app gives you the editor UI, runtime API, schema snapshots, API keys, backups, triggers, and usage views.

DeploymentEnvironment variablesOperations

What you run

  • @cms0/admin
  • PostgreSQL
  • filesystem or S3-compatible storage
  • email delivery for account and invitation flows
  • a reverse proxy with HTTPS

Local first run

From this repository:

Terminal
pnpm install
cp apps/admin/.env.example apps/admin/.env.local

Edit apps/admin/.env.local and set at least:

apps/admin/.env.local
DATABASE_URL="postgres://postgres:password@localhost:5432/cms0"
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET="replace-with-a-long-random-secret"
BETTER_AUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000"
CMS0_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000"
TRUSTED_ORIGINS="http://localhost:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3000"
ADMIN_EMAIL="[email protected]"
ADMIN_PASSWORD="replace-with-a-local-password"
ORG_NAME="Acme Inc."
CMS0_STORAGE_DRIVER=filesystem
CMS0_STORAGE_PATH=./storage
CMS0_ASSET_BASE_URL="http://localhost:3000"
CMS0_EMAIL_TRANSPORT=log

Then start the admin:

Terminal
pnpm dev:admin

The local admin opens at http://localhost:3000.

Docker first run

To run the admin and Postgres through Docker Compose instead:

Terminal
cp deploy/docker/admin.env.example deploy/docker/admin.env
pnpm docker:admin:build
pnpm docker:admin:up

Edit deploy/docker/admin.env before using the stack outside local development. The Compose stack stores database and admin storage data in named Docker volumes.

ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD create the first admin account during startup. After that, new self-hosted operator accounts are invite-only: send a team invitation from the Team settings page, then let the invitee create their account from that invitation link.

Setup order

Create a Postgres database

Set DATABASE_URL to the database used by @cms0/admin.

Choose storage

Use filesystem storage for local or single-host deployments, or S3-compatible storage for movable containers.

Configure auth and origins

Set CMS0_PUBLIC_APP_URL, BETTER_AUTH_URL, BETTER_AUTH_SECRET, and TRUSTED_ORIGINS.

Bootstrap the first admin

Set ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD, start the app, then sign in.

Create an API key

Point your app and cms0.config.ts at the runtime URL ending in /api/content.

Runtime URL

For a local admin running on port 3000, the runtime API base URL is:

Local runtime URL
http://localhost:3000/api/content

In production, use your admin origin:

Production runtime URL
https://cms.example.com/api/content

Self-hosted app integrations still use @cms0/cms0; only the runtime base URL changes.

License note

The app integration workspaces use the Apache License 2.0. apps/admin, @cms0/admin-server, and @cms0/db-schema-ops use the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. See License for the workspace map.

Success check

Your self-hosted instance is ready when:

  • you can sign in as the bootstrap admin
  • /api/health responds through the deployed origin
  • you can create an API key
  • /api/content/health responds when called with a valid API key
  • pnpm exec cms0 build publishes a schema into the admin UI
Billing and limitsDeployment