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Contento CMS
What Contento CMS is
Contento CMS is a free, open-source content management system for traditional publishing or headless API delivery. Its Markdown editor includes autosave, word count, reading-time estimates, cover images, SEO fields, and five publication statuses. Editorial workflows, SEO tools, a media library, and custom content types are included. The REST API has 135 endpoints, with public delivery and bearer-token-protected management endpoints. One installation can run multiple sites with domain-based resolution and separate themes and settings. Admin roles are Owner, Admin, Editor, Author, and Viewer. Contento includes eight themes, a dark-mode editor, and JavaScript plugins running in a Jint sandbox with file, network, process, time, and memory limits. It imports WordPress WXR/XML and Markdown and exports JSON, Markdown, or HTML. Stripe memberships and billing plus automatic embeds are described. Self-hosted setup requires .NET SDK 10 or later and PostgreSQL 14 or later; Redis and Node.js are optional. The default media upload limit is 10 MB.
Who it suits
Contento suits publishers wanting self-hosted traditional sites or headless frontends such as Next.js, Astro, 11ty, and mobile apps. It also fits teams needing roles, workflows, multiple sites, and extensible content types.
What it does well
- Free and open source
- Markdown editor with autosave
- 135-endpoint REST API
- Multiple sites per installation
- Imports and exports common formats
What to know first
- Self-hosted setup required
- Requires .NET SDK 10 or later
- Requires PostgreSQL 14 or later
- Default media upload limit is 10 MB
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Contento CMS | Open source · free to use · self-hosted | Free |
As contentocms.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Contento CMS combines writer-focused publishing tools with a substantial headless API and multi-site administration. Its self-hosted technical requirements and upload limit should be planned before installation.
Facts from Contento CMS's own pages
- API
- The REST API has 135 endpoints, with public content delivery and bearer-token-authenticated management endpoints. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yes · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Editor
- Its writer-first editor uses Markdown and includes autosave, word count, reading time, cover images, SEO fields, and five publication statuses. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yes · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Import and export
- Contento supports importing WordPress WXR/XML and Markdown, and exporting JSON, Markdown, or HTML. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The site describes Stripe-powered memberships and billing, plus automatic embeds for YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter/X, Spotify, SoundCloud, and CodePen. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Intended use
- The site presents Contento for traditional CMS publishing or for powering frontends such as Next.js, Astro, 11ty, and mobile apps through its headless API. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Limits and setup
- The documentation lists a default maximum media upload size of 10 MB and says the API signing key must be set to a strong unique secret for production. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Multi-site
- One installation can run multiple sites with domain-based resolution and per-site themes and settings. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hosted · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Plugins
- JavaScript plugins run in a Jint sandbox, and the site lists an SEO analyzer, contact form, reading progress, and social sharing features. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Plugin sandbox
- The plugin documentation says server-side plugins lack file system, network, and process access and have timeout and memory limits. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Product
- Contento is an open-source content management system that can run as a traditional server-rendered CMS or as a headless JSON API. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The getting-started documentation requires .NET SDK 10.0 or later and PostgreSQL 14 or later; Redis and Node.js are optional prerequisites. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Security
- Listed security measures include BCrypt password hashing, CSRF protection, CSP headers, HTML sanitization, HMAC-signed API tokens, and audit logging. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yes · contentocms.com, 24 Sept 2026
- Support
- The site links to product documentation, an API reference, and GitHub; it does not state a support plan on the pages reviewed. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Team access
- The admin panel lists five roles: Owner, Admin, Editor, Author, and Viewer. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Technical requirements
- The documentation requires .NET SDK 10 or later and PostgreSQL 14 or later; Redis 7.x is optional for caching. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Themes
- The CMS includes eight built-in themes and supports custom themes using CSS variables. · contentocms.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where Contento CMS stands on Freedom251
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